After a considerable length of time in silence and inaction, the Philadelphia 76ers made another appearance in the newsstands, cutting ties with Ricky Council IV to free up another roster spot for next season.
The incoming third-year wing had a bigger role for the 76ers last season thanks in nlarge part to the team having a ton of injuries, but he was far from a consistently productive cog. He normed just 7.3 points and 2.9 rebounds per game on 38.2 percent shooting from the field and a measly 25.8 percent conversion rate on three-point shots, immensely struggling on offense.
His numbers from last season were night and day from expectations before the previous campaign began, especially after he secured to himself a guaranteed NBA deal due to the snippets of brilliance he flashed in his rookie year. Now, he has been shown the door in his stint in Philly.
But having said that, with this move, the 76ers have effectively pulled off a pair of instant regrets.
76ers commit two big mistakes with one questionable move
While the writing was on the wall for Council’s tenure with the franchise, this move is sure to bring a pair of troubles for the team.
First off, the front office elected to part with him instead of one of Kyle Lowry and Eric Gordon, reflecting the front office’s backwards thinking when it comes to roster building and asset management. Council’s struggles last season could have still been rectified, and he still has much better utility than those mentioned veterans.
Council still packed some value as a depth insurance who provides a more varied offensive profile as a fearless cutter, and it’s not like his three-point shot was an incurable defect.
Second, getting rid of Council means that the 76ers have tossed aside one of their few good defenders. The 23-year-old was more than competent on that end, especially in one-on-one situations, and with Philadelphia already registering as one of the most brittle teams in the league when it comes to perimeter defense, they inarguably got even worse on that end.
Jared McCain, who can also be quite pesky on defense, is coming off a major injury. VJ Edgecombe is still a rookie. Both Lowry and Gordon have become traffic cones on that end. Council could have made a difference in spurts as someone who can guard three positions.
For now, this is an unsurprising, yet admittedly shortsighted move. The Philadelphia 76ers, after all. Could have axed someone else, or softened the blow of this inevitable maneuver by addressing their issues on defense, but they did not. Hopefully, this does not bite them back hard.