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Who is Viktor Lakhin? OKC Thunder add Russian star to NBA roster

Originally posted on NBA Analysis Network
By Aikansh Chaudhary | Last updated Oct 12, 2025 6:53 PM ET

The Oklahoma City Thunder are still making moves to improve their roster.

After all, the 2025-26 NBA season will be crucial for the Oklahoma City Thunder as they hope to retain their championship.

While the Thunder have barely made any changes to their core of stars, the organization has still experimented with the depth of their roster.

Keeping that in mind, the Thunder have now signed Viktor Lakhin to an undisclosed, but likely Exhibit 10 deal.

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Viktor Lakhin’s NCAA career

Lakhin was a projected second-round pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. However, he went undrafted after suffering a torn tendon in his left foot.

The 6’11” forward weighs 247 lbs and averaged 9.3 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 1.0 assists per game while shooting 54.2% from the field and 31.8% from the three-point line during his NCAA career.

Stats	Fresher (2021-22)	Sophomore (2022-23)	Junior (2023-24)	Senior (2024-25)
Points	4.2 PPG	11.6 PPG	9.2 PPG	11.4 PPG
Rebounds	3.5 RPG	7.1 RPG	6.0 RPG	6.4 RPG
Assists	0.2 APG	0.5 APG	1.7 APG	1.5 APG

The Russian-born forward had his fair share of ups and downs during his NCAA career, which explains why he was a projected second-round pick.

Viktor Lakhin likely impressed the OKC Thunder during the NBA Summer League

Despite being an undrafted prospect, Lakhin has seemingly impressed the reigning champions of the NBA. After all, the Thunder previously signed him to their NBA Summer League roster.

Following a stellar showing, Lakhin has now earned another contract with the Thunder, likely a non-guaranteed deal ahead of the regular season.

But let’s not forget that OKC still has a two-way spot open on their roster. So, if Lakhin does well enough to impress Mark Daigneault, he could earn consistent minutes in the G League.

Of course, the ultimate goal for him would be to earn a standard contract from OKC, and performing well in the G League could be an excellent way to do so.

This article first appeared on NBA Analysis Network and was syndicated with permission.

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