Ricky Council IV ready to build off rookie season to help Sixers succeed
CAMDEN, N.J. — Philadelphia 76ers rookie Ricky Council IV had a terrific first voyage in the NBA. An undrafted player out of Arkansas and on a two-way deal, he averaged 5.4 points and 1.4 rebounds and made a difference in most games to earn himself a standard contract.
As he now heads into his first NBA offseason, Council IV is looking to build off what was a wild rookie season. Just shuffling between Delaware in the G League and Philadelphia and then earning his standard deal, Council IV had to go through a lot.
“It was wild,” Council IV said reflecting on his rookie season. “Like I’ve told y’all before, coming into the league I definitely had a little bit different expectations for myself, but to be honest, that’s partly because I didn’t really know how it was. The perception wasn’t for real.”
One doesn’t really know what the NBA is like until one gets there. That is where Council IV is continuing to grow. His experiences in the G League have helped him in the NBA and the Sixers will look to continue to develop him.
“So it was a lot of ups and downs, a lot of G League, and a lot of growth down there,” Council IV added. “I brought it up and it helped my confidence up here. I don’t know where I’d be without the G League. It helped me a lot. A lot of reps, a lot of work down there helped build my confidence. It helped build my confidence up here and it was also vice versa. Every time I was up here for a while and went back down there, it made things easier.”
The playoffs showed the rookie how important every single possession is in those big moments. He, along with guys like Terquavion Smith, Jeff Dowtin Jr., and KJ Martin, was able to see the importance of the details in the playoffs. He will now look to continue to grow from those experiences.
“We were talking — me, Jeff, Terq and KJ — and we were like, ‘Man, (OG) Anunoby, every game he played, it felt like he had 30, just off his impact.’ Hitting timely, big shots, just making good plays,” Council IV recalled. “Every game, it felt like he had 30, and you look up and he only has like 10, 12. No way! But that’s just the playoffs. Everything matters, every possession matters, every point matters, every defensive stop matters. That’s one thing I learned for sure. I feel like it’s not really the same during the regular season. It is to an extent, but not like in the playoffs.”
