The Philadelphia 76ers underwent a massive makeover this summer. Ten new players were brought in via free agency and the draft, with the headliner of course being future Hall of Famer Paul George. These newcomers are primed to fill many key roles in Philly’s rotation this season, with the ultimate expectation being that they can help put the team in position to finally make it to the Conference Finals and beyond.
What about the returners? We know what we’ll get from Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey. They will steer the ship as their new crewmates row. There is another standby, though, who could play a crucial role in bringing the Sixers to the promised land. That man is Ricky Council IV.
Council, a former undrafted free agent, is coming into his second year in the NBA with a ton of positive momentum. In April, he was rewarded for outplaying his two-way status with a standard contract. At media day, Nick Nurse said Council would be a “factor” in the rotation this season. The Arkansas product is ready to go in 2024-25. Here’s why.
Offense
As a rookie, Ricky Council averaged 5.4 points in just nine minutes per game. That scales up to 21.6 points per 36 minutes, a rate that ranked behind only Embiid and Maxey among Sixers who played 100+ minutes last year. Simply put, Council is a bucket, and the way he fills up the scoring column is no fluke.
The young wing has a funky bag of scoring methods that are both flashy and practical. He knows how to utilize pump fakes to send defenders flying in a Desmond-Bane-esque fashion. He is also keen at finding backcut opportunities along the baseline and he fills lanes and runs the floor very well in transition. Further, he is an assertive catch-and-drive guy who powers his attacks by stampeding the catch and getting downhill quicker.
Another thing Council does to create easy points for himself is get to the free throw line at a truly absurd rate. Had he played enough minutes to qualify, his free throw rate of 0.634 would have ranked third in the entire NBA. He’s unafraid of contact and will go into the chest of anyone when he’s getting downhill. “He’s got an uncanny ability of drawing fouls”, head coach Nick Nurse said in an interview.
Council’s repertoire of moves is more polished than that of the average young player, and its effect is heightened by his combination of fearless, ballsy shot taking and silky shot making. He has touch at all three levels, and it shows up the most at the rim, where he hits ridiculously tough floating layups over overarching defenders. In 2023-24, he shot 63.9% at the rim, 66.7% on long middies, and 37.5% from three.
It would not be unreasonable to call Council’s scoring tape special. The kid is that talented and that confident. There are only two clear potential hindering aspects of his game, and both are relatively unconcerning. The first is that his shot diet is tough at times which means his efficiency could fall off on a higher volume. The other is that his jump shot form is a little hitchy, but that hasn’t held him back up to this point and it’s nothing offseason work couldn’t fix.
Defense
Council isn’t known for his defense, but he can pull his weight on that end and make things happen, specifically as a playmaker. He did a good job of turning defense to offense as a rookie, quickly getting out into transition after grabbing a steal or blocking a shot.
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So, what will it take for Ricky Council to have a breakout year? The first thing is consistent playing time. He’ll be competing with Paul George, Caleb Martin, Kelly Oubre Jr., and Eric Gordon on the wing, and he is probably firmly behind those guys in the depth chart. However, with three of them (George, Oubre, and Martin) projected to start, there will be bench minutes available for the youngster to snatch up. Once he gets on the court, playing defense will be key for him staying on it. “He’s still got some growth to do at the defensive end”, said Nurse. Council has no shortage of athletic tools and dawg in him, and so if he channels his focus and takes pride in his defense, he could stand out for the right reasons on D.
Another development that would make it harder to keep Council out of the lineup is passing. He has shown some flashes of drive-and-kick playmaking that are very encouraging, as tunnel-vision scorers have a hard ceiling on the impact they can make. Establishing himself as a dribble-pass-shoot wing would go a long way for his future.
Overall, though, Council is all systems go for the 2024-25 season. “Ricky seems like a whole different person coming back this year… he knows what we’re doing”, Nurse said about his second-year player. When the 76ers are competing deep in the playoffs this season, don’t be surprised if Ricky Council IV is playing a big part in their success.
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