Ricky Council IV brings ‘that dog back’ in Sixers’ overtime loss to Rockets

Ricky Council IV has spent a lot of recent down time on his couch, pulling up any film of his play from last season that he could find. Through “watching and rewinding, watching and rewinding,” the 76ers wing said, he reminded himself why he became one of his team’s success stories as a rookie.

“I just had to bring that hunger, that dog back,” Council said.

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Council finally got the opportunity to put those studies to use Wednesday. With Caleb Martin added to the Sixers’ still-extensive injury list, Council seized his first opportunity for significant minutes during what had been a disappointing start to his second NBA season. He recorded his second-career double-double with 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting and 10 rebounds — along with a slew of high-energy plays — in the Sixers’ 122-115 overtime loss to the Houston Rockets, a performance reminiscent of a rookie season when Council was an undrafted player on a two-way contract who eventually earned a standard deal.

“Just playing hard and trying to find my groove,” Council after the game. " … It started in the rebounds. Then shots came my way. Just playing defense, blocking shots, getting steals. So just bring that overall energy.”

Sixers coach Nick Nurse acknowledged that Council’s 27 minutes Wednesday initially arrived because he did not “really have anybody else over there” on the bench. Paul George and Kyle Lowry are perimeter players still sidelined with injuries, while veterans Eric Gordon and Reggie Jackson were ineffective in 12 combined minutes Wednesday. Council’s explosive athleticism was also beneficial against Houston’s stout defense, which exited Wednesday ranked second in the NBA in efficiency at 103.7 points allowed per 100 possessions.

Council’s second-quarter entrance helped fuel the Sixers’ rally from an early 13-point deficit and keep the game within striking distance. He threw down a putback dunk and drew an illegal screen almost immediately after checking in, vigorously clapping following both plays. In between gobbling up seven first-half rebounds, he altered a shot attempt with an outstretched arm and led a fastbreak before dishing to Jared McCain for a finish.

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Late in the third quarter, Council hit a wild step-back three-pointer to tie the score at 77, then immediately snagged a steal and found Guerschon Yabusele streaking toward the basket before drawing a foul. Then with less than two minutes to go in regulation, Council hit another shot from beyond the arc as part of the Sixers’ surge to tie the score and send it to overtime.

“Even at halftime, I was telling him to keep going,” said Yabusele, whose locker is next to Council’s. “We need his energy. … He’s a great piece for us, and he’s going to help us a lot this season.”

It was quite the shift from about 10 days ago, when Council was one of the last players on the floor following a Nov. 17 practice in Miami. He was working 1-on-1 and scrimmaging with assistant coaches and Tyrese Maxey, who at the time was still recovering from a hamstring injury. Council, though, was tasked with keeping his cardio up because he was not in the rotation.

That same day, Nurse was short when asked about Council, calling the quality of his play and “sporadic” minutes and that, as a result, “there hasn’t been much to evaluate there.” Council was also clearly frustrated following that workout, but vowed to maintain positivity because, “If they didn’t want us, we wouldn’t be here,” he told The Inquirer.

Outside of that on-court work, Council’s personal film sessions led to candid reflection. He believed his mindset had been too focused on trying to prove he could be a reliable outside shooter, backfiring into missing 15 of his first 18 three-point attempts while playing like a “robot.” He remembered the role the coaching staff designated for him before the season was to crash the glass. And he regained the broader perspective that, “as bad as things can get, and as depressed as you can get, and down as you can get,” he said, “you’re here in the NBA, where you always wanted to be your whole life.”

But …

“Sometimes, I was getting out there and I wasn’t doing nothing with my minutes,” Council acknowledged. “So I feel like, tonight, I showed [that] the minutes I got, I could be productive.”

The Sixers’ depth could replenish some in the coming days. George said Tuesday that he hopes to return from a knee bone bruise within the week, though the statuses for Lowry (hip) and Martin (back) are more uncertain. Nurse also acknowledged that the veterans in the Sixers’ backcourt have received “ample opportunity to earn more minutes,” and have not consistently taken advantage.

So another chance could arrive soon for Council. Perhaps most meaningful to him about Wednesday’s outing: He was on the floor at crunch time in the fourth quarter and overtime, because he had rediscovered the groove that made him a rookie success story.

“I feel like, in the beginning of the season, [Nurse was] not trusting me as much,” Council said. " … So I’ve just got to continue to build trust. And when he looks on the bench, I’m someone he can call on.”