Sixers are hoping Ricky Council IV will ‘play a little better’ to close the season

The 76ers have an all-encompassing goal for Ricky Council IV to accomplish over the remainder of the season.

“We just want Ricky to play a little better,” coach Nick Nurse said. “He’s just got to play a little bit more physical — defense, rebounding. He’s a great athlete. I know he’s only 6-foot-4, but we need help on the glass. He’s got to provide some of that. He’s got to provide some help at the defensive end as well. Again, he’s a good athlete with quickness.”

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The second-year forward should get ample opportunity to make good on those expectations.

Joel Embiid (left knee injury management), Jared McCain (left knee meniscus surgery), and Eric Gordon (right wrist surgery) have been ruled out for the remainder of the season. Meanwhile, Kyle Lowry (right hip injury management) has not played since Feb. 9. Tyrese Maxey (lower back sprain) missed his third consecutive game on Sunday and Paul George (left groin soreness) was sidelined for his second straight. The forward will also miss Monday’s game against the Atlanta Hawks at State Farm Arena.

“I just have to continue to prove myself so coach can trust me on the floor,” said Council, who took averages of 6.0 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 1.2 assists in 14.0 minutes into Sunday night’s game against the visiting Utah Jazz. “That’s the only thing I’m focused on. For me personally, I like to win, first and foremost, playing, not playing. But I also like to play. So one of my goals at the beginning of the season was to play consistent minutes.

“Obviously, it hasn’t happened. But like I said, first and foremost, I want to win. So if I’m playing zero minutes and we’re winning, I’m happy.”

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He played in 53 of the Sixers’ first 62 games. However, he’s struggled shooting the ball, which has affected his ability to remain on the floor. Council was shooting 40.1% from the field, making just 35 of 121 three-pointers (28.9%) entering Sunday.

Sunday’s matchup marked KJ Martin’s first game against the Sixers since they traded him to the Detroit Pistons on Feb. 6. The Pistons, in turn, shipped him to the Jazz in a separate trade. He has averaged 7.7 points and 3.3 rebounds during his first nine games with Utah and started in seven of those contests.

The 24-year-old was excelling for the Sixers at starting power forward before suffering a stress reaction in his left foot. As a result, he was sidelined since Dec. 23 before being traded.