CAMDEN, N.J. — Ricky Council IV will qualify for the NBA Playoffs in his rookie year.
The Sixers announced Saturday that they have signed Council, who was previously on a two-way contract, to a standard NBA contract.
Council's new contract is for four years and $7.4 million. Reported by Shams Charania of The Athletic.
After spending his junior season at the University of Arkansas, Council went undrafted and started this season with the Delaware Blue Coats. The 6-foot-6 wing averaged 23.8 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.9 assists across the G League and showed significant improvement with his jump shot.
Council, who shot 28.4 percent from 3-point range over the past two seasons in college, shot 38 percent from triples and attempted 6.0 per game in the G League.
“I just have to believe in myself and stay focused,” Council said on Jan. 2 after making his Sixers debut. “A few months ago, no one thought I could get to the rim. Now I'm back to my old self. I just want to be consistent and the sky's the limit.”
Council exuded both confidence and maturity in the NBA. He has expected greatness himself, recognizing that the Sixers don't want him to do everything. The 22-year-old has provided solid, physical defense throughout, drawing fouls at a high rate and avoiding rash decisions. He committed just four turnovers in 281 total minutes.
Council was great in his first NBA overtime chance outside of garbage time. He scored 19 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in the Sixers' road game against the Wizards on February 10th, playing with exceptional tenacity.
“I feel like I'm a dog,” Council said that night. “A lot of people say that, but not a lot of people actually understand it. When you're out there…I don't know, I can't really explain it. All you see is the goal and your teammates. It doesn't matter — LeBron (James), the best player in the world. I have a lot of respect for them, but when I go out there I just want to help the team win.”
Other highlights for Council this season include his clutch free throws against the Cavs and his great performance late in the Sixers' double-overtime win against the Spurs on Sunday.
Sixers head coach Nick Nurse had high praise for Council after the team's practice on Saturday. And without prompting, he raised the possibility of the council convening in meaningful playoff time.
“First of all, I think this is a great accomplishment for him,” Nurse said. “I would have said yes, we were excited when we got him to agree to play for us on draft night. I thought his summer league was OK. But He's done a really great job since then. He's definitely earned this spot with everything he's done. I always say this: He competes. He competes every day. He works hard here. …Whether it's walkthroughs or whatever, he's working hard.
“His shooting has improved. He has unique athleticism to drive and draw fouls. He's a little more versatile defensively. He can guard on the perimeter. This also reflects his athleticism. Thanks to this, he can guard.
“I think there were at least three times last night (against the Magic) where we were about to pull the trigger to put him in the rotation. I mean, what we're looking at, who's in there, what the foul trouble is, He's right on the brink of that, depending on things like that. We feel like he's a bit of an X-factor guy, just like in the San Antonio game. He goes in there and brings energy at times. He can change things up, he can change his rhythm, he can make some plays. So I'm really happy for him.”
