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The Philadelphia 76ers have some nice depth around the star trio of Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and Paul George. It’s nothing special but not awful; the players around them mostly have complementary skills, though it's unclear how many can consistently make a high-level impact. Ricky Council IV isn’t even certain to have a rotation spot but he may still be the most likely one.
Council only played over 15 minutes in a single game five times and spent a large chunk of his minutes in mop-up roles late in blowouts. Yet the undrafted rookie showed enough talent for the Sixers to sign him to a multi-year deal. Even though this year and next year are non-guaranteed and the final year is a team option, it was a big deal for him to earn that contract.
Now 23 years old, Council is looking to play his way into a consistent role with the 76ers. He's got the talent, the motor and the physicality to be a versatile weapon for Philly. Council wants to be someone that Nick Nurse feels confident going to in any situation — and he looks capable of living up to that standard.
“If he's looking for somebody to go rebound, I can be that option. Looking for somebody to be a knockdown shooter, I can be that option,” Council said in September. “Being able to do all the little things on the court so when he looks at the bench, I'm somebody that he can look at for one of the first options.”
Ricky Council IV will have big sophomore season with 76ers
Not since Jimmy Butler in the 2011-12 season has a rookie wing posted a free-throw attempt rate above 0.600 over a sample of over 250 minutes. Prior to Ricky Council IV, the last rookie of any position to do this was Jaxson Hayes in the 2019-20 season. Rookies are not supposed to draw fouls that well, especially those with shot diets that don’t feature an abundance of assisted dunks and layups.
This skill has been there at least since college for Council. Eric Musselman recruited him to Arkansas partly because of it and helped Council turn it into something he could consciously leverage against defenses. It's the stand-out skill that makes Council worth playing now and instills a belief that he has a high ceiling to reach.
Enhancing the potency of Council's foul-drawing frequency is his sound free-throw shooting. He shot 74.6 percent from the charity stripe in his first season with the 76ers on 71 attempts —just below the NBA average — but also shot 80.0 percent in 11 games with the G League's Delaware Blue Coats (on 50 attempts) and 79.4 percent in his final collegiate season (on 218 attempts). The guy makes defenses pay for their inability to slow him down.
Council's bull rushes put defenders on their heels and often lead to a paint touch or a shooting foul. When he has the space, he can throw down a thunderous dunk as good as anybody. Nonetheless, his handle is still a bit loose right now. He leaves the ball exposed to smaller defenders and his drives are too south-to-north directionally, not featuring enough east-to-west moves, which leads to some ill-advised shot attempts.
Three-point shooting is also one of the major areas that Council must address. Take Summer League for whatever it’s worth but the strides he made from the summer of 2023 to this past one are very promising. It was like he was a whole different player in his three-point shooting, massively boosting his volume and types of looks.
RIcky Council IV is *cooking* pic.twitter.com/H2ML2NCfGe
— Steve Jones Jr. (@stevejones20) July 9, 2024
Council's strength and size (6-foot-6 with a 6-foot-9 wingspan) translates to toughness and physicality on the defensive end, too. He's comfortable guarding several positions and has a nose for the ball, always looking to poke it away or tip a pass. With ample reps, he should consistently be a valuable, versatile on-ball defender.
For all his flaws, Council is a fierce competitor, an outstanding athlete, and a young player showing real improvement. The biggest uncertainty around his ability to help the Sixers is whether he'll get enough of a chance to play. Nick Nurse has some important decisions regarding the rotation and whether Council will be a part of it.
Council has the potential to be as impactful as any role player on this roster. But because he has much less experience than anyone else fighting for a rotation spot (save for the rookies), his path to playing time is uphill. He's going to be in the running for a spot off the bench with the likes of Guerschon Yabusele and KJ Martin, and perhaps Eric Gordon.
Council is a wing but can also slide down to a forward spot, which gives him nice positional range compared to the other three. While he almost certainly will never be a floor spacer like Gordon, he's also not someone a defense would want to double off of. Any runway offered to Council invites an instant lift-off. It's easy to imagine Embiid finding a cutting Council for a big bucket if the defense tries to take advantage of Council's developing three-point shot. He can get downhill quickly, which also aids Philly’s goal of pushing the pace.
Ricky Council IV could be the difference between the 76ers' depth being adequate or being strong. Any opportunity to play on this team must be earned — and Council has the stuff to stand out in a major way.
