Philadelphia 76ers sign Ricky Council IV to two-way deal after 2023 NBA Draft
Ricky Council IV is officially an NBA player although not being one of the players to hear his name called on Thursday night at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY. He is just the latest product of Arkansas head coach Eric Musselman, joining some teammates for a special occasion. Council will head to the Philadelphia 76ers and sign a two-way contract after going undrafted.
Shams Charania shared the news on Council following the 2023 NBA Draft last night.
In 36 games this season for Council, he finished as the team’s leading scorer. He averaged 16.1 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game. Council was consistently scoring at high volumes for the Razorbacks and guided them to a Sweet 16 appearance.
Council was able to record one double-double, coming in the NCAA Tournament opening round game against Illinois. On three of nine shooting, Council finished with 18 points and 10 rebounds and Arkansas advanced to the Round of 32.
Philadelphia will be hoping for a similar type of impact on the court moving forward.
Council played high school basketball at Durham (NC) Northern, where he was an unranked prospect. He was not too highly recruited coming out of high school and wound up in Fayetteville via the NCAA transfer portal. Two seasons were spent at Wichita State before finishing out his college career with Arkansas.
What NBA Draft experts are saying about Ricky Council IV
Prior to the draft, NBA.com produced a scouting report on Council. They are high on the Arkansas prospect, laying out some of Council’s strengths. They believe his offensive game is going to translate well to the NBA, due to the “fast-paced, isolation style” of basketball.
“Council improved each year he was in college and has developed into a tenacious, downhill offensive player with the size, athleticism and skill set to excel at both ends of the court,” the analysis said. “His explosiveness creates easy buckets in transition, but he’s also crafty around the rim during half-court sets and has a solid mid-range jumper.
“Teams can’t foul him consistently because he’s a lethal free-throw shooter. His offensive game should benefit from the fast-paced, isolation style of the NBA, and his 6-foot-10 wingspan allows him to guard multiple positions.”
NBA.com was right about the free throws, as Council made nearly 80% of his attempts from the charity strike. Whenever he was able to get to the line, there were moments where he was able to come up in clutch scenarios for the Razorbacks. A good skill to have if you want to translate in the NBA.