Philadelphia 76ers head coach Nick Nurse told the media that undrafted rookie Ricky Council IV does everything hard following Monday’s 123-121 road win vs. the Cleveland Cavaliers (8 points/5 rebounds/2-7 FG/4-5 FT/+5 +/-).
(via NBC Sports Philadelphia):
Reporter: “I think we asked you before the Atlanta game about situations that you’ve been in undermanned, pulling up guys from the G League or two-ways, and giving them opportunities to emerge. In the days since, Ricky has really taken an opportunity sort of by the horns. What do you make of the way that someone can sort of burst onto the scene even in just a couple short days?”
Nurse: “Well, a couple things have to usually happen. You’ve gotta figure out can these guys play an NBA role? What’s their NBA skill versus what they’re doing down there? And Ricky is an incredible athlete who plays really hard. He makes things happen. He uses that to be a defender and a rebounder, first and foremost. That’s a pretty good start, that’s a pretty good start. And then he’ll battle on the offensive glass and get a bucket or two. How about that situation for him to step up and knock down free throws? In that situation there, it’s a lot of courage, a lot of confidence in himself there. And again, I’ve said it a lot about him, but he does everything hard. Every day, every walkthrough, every shootaround, every practice, everything, he’s focused and ready to go. It’s good to see him reap some rewards from that.”
