Ricky Council IV
Guard | Arkansas
Height: 6’6” | Weight: 205 lbs
2023 Draft Age: 21.89
William Purnell / USA TODAY Sports
Prospect Profile
A new member of a loaded Arkansas team, Council IV is a junior who recently transferred from Wichita State. He’s coming off a spectacular season in which he earned American Athletic Conference Sixth Man of the Year honors.
Last season as a sophomore on the Shockers, he averaged 12.0 points and 5.4 rebounds per contest off the bench. He only knocked down 30.6% of his triples, which was down from 44.4% as a freshman.
This season, he’ll be going up against much better competition in the SEC. If he rises to the occasion, Council will only be even more of a legitimate prospect in the 2023 NBA Draft. It all comes down to that 3-point shooting and overall offensive efficiency.
He’s got a high release point on his jumper and the mechanics look solid, but Council struggled last season from deep. The 6-foot-6 guard is a crafty finisher in the paint, but plays mostly below the rim. With that in mind, he does have the bounce to finish dunks with power.
Council lacks an elite first step which limits him somewhat, but he still finds ways to generate shots off the dribble. He’s a good positional rebounder and is overall impactful even outside of scoring. Council does need to improve as a passer and facilitator offensively, as his assist numbers are pretty low for a guard.
Scroll to Continue
He is able to hold his own defensively and is versatile given he’s a bigger guard. This season at Arkansas, Council will get to play quite a bit of wing as he hopes to showcase 3-and-D upside.
Regardless of the limitations, Council should be a second-round steal for an NBA team next summer. He’ll have every opportunity to show what he’s got on an Arkansas squad that has championship potential. He’ll be playing alongside three potential lottery picks in Nick Smith Jr., Jordan Walsh and Anthony Black.
If Council does take the NBA leap after this season, he will be 22 by the start of his rookie season. He wasn’t the biggest recruit coming out of high school, but Council has continuously gotten better and has proven to be a future NBA talent.
Highlights
Draft Projection
Second-Round Pick in 2023 NBA Draft.
2023 Big Board
Want to know more about other potential 2023 NBA Draft prospects? Check out our Draft Digest Big Board.
Want to join the discussion? Like Draft Digest on Facebook and Follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest NBA Draft news. You can also meet the team behind the coverage.
.