After Ricky Council IV‘s last two performances against the Pistons and Rockets, Council showed that he deserves to be a permanent piece in the Sixers’ rotation. With Council pitching in 17 points to defeat the Pistons and notching his second career double-double against a top-five defense in the Rockets, Ricky has stepped up with Philly facing injuries. As the Sixers fight to dig themselves out of this hole, implementing a young Ricky Council IV could provide Philly the spark they need to turn this season around.
Council Needs To Be A Mainstay In The Sixers’ Rotation
A Well-Needed Breath Of Fresh Air
One of the problems for the Sixers so far this season has been age. After re-signing Kyle Lowry while bringing in Paul George, Reggie Jackson, and Eric Gordon, the Sixers have had to be reliant on players on the back end of their careers. And having to do so hasn’t worked out well for them. Lowry has missed the last five games and was averaging only three points on 18.8/8.7/87.5 splits in the seven games before his injury. Now Jackson and Gordon haven’t dealt with injury this season, but them suiting up might be doing more harm than good for Philly.
Both Jackson and Gordon have been terrible in the opportunities they’ve gotten so far. Since the third game of this season where he scored 15 points to help defeat Indiana, Gordon is averaging 4.0 points on just 31.6% from the field and 22.6% from beyond the arc. For a player who Philly envisioned being a reliable spot-up option for Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid, he’s been anything but that. And for Jackson, who wasn’t expected to play much this season, he’s been trusted into the rotation at times due to injuries.
On face value, his stats don’t look that bad. He is averaging 4.4 points on 40.5% from the field and 41.7% from three in just nine games. Watching him though, he seems to be a negative on defense and displays poor decision-making with the ball. If Philly wants to capitalize on the bench minutes, Council should take up more of them.
Last Resort
Besides the fact that Gordon and Jackson haven’t been good this season, the Sixers don’t have many options at this point. They currently sit at 4-14 with the 14th seed in the East. It’s not many changes Philly can make with the roster they have right now. One of the few changes they can make is making Council a permanent piece in the rotation. The consistent minutes can only do good for a young player like Council. Not to mention, the pros and cons are in Philly’s favor. It’s almost impossible for Ricky to perform worse than Gordon and Jackson have this season, and in the worst-case scenario, you’re back in the same position you are in right now.
Earlier this season, head coach Nick Nurse had to make the decision to start McCain in place of Lowry. Now he’s tasked with making the decision on whether to play Council over Gordon and Jackson. It might not seem like a major decision, but it could have a major impact on Philly’s playoff chances. And if the Sixers want to make good on PG’s guarantee, this change may be necessary.
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