76ers' Nick Nurse Foresees Bigger Role for Ricky Council IV

It's no secret that the Philadelphia 76ers have struggled with injuries this season, whether it's the loss of reigning MVP and leading scorer Joel Embiid to a meniscus injury, De'Anthony Melton to a issue relating to his back, or Robert Covington to a bone bruise in his left knee, all of which have proven to be long term injuries.

With these players out for long periods of time, Nick Nurse has had to get creative and work with every player at his disposal, which has included the likes of Delaware Blue Coats standouts Terquavion Smith and Ricky Council IV.

While Smith has returned to the Blue Coats following a 12-game stint with the Sixers, Council has remained with the Sixers, averaging nine minutes a game in which he is putting up six points on 50 percent shooting.

Given this output, which when paired with his work ethic which has been previously praised by Nurse, it's no surprise that he has stayed with the squad as they continue to deal with the ongoing injury crisis.

Following Council's 16 point outing against the Eastern Conference leading Boston Celtics, the Sixers' head coach had more praise regarding the 21-year-old's in-game work ethic.

"He's just done nothing but play hard," said Nurse, "he's an opportunistic scorer and he drives when he's got them, he gets on the glass, and he tries to guard really hard."

While Council started his current stint with Philadelphia receiving the usual minute associated with being a deep reserves option, over the recent weeks his playing time has increased to 15 minutes per game.

A source for the sudden increase in minutes can be attributed to an injury to KJ Martin, which has kept him sidelined for the previous two games.

Given the recent injury stint for Martin, Nurse feels that Council's role on the team has the potential to expand.

"I could see him, especially with KJ [Martin] out," explained Nurse, "I can see him sliding into the 3-4 position for a little while."

Friday night's match against the Charlotte Hornets may be the another opportunity for Council to show off his talents in the stretch forward role, as Martin has been listed as questionable.

It doesn't appear that the Blue Coats are suffering without Council as the G-League side sits atop of the Eastern Conference with a 16-6 record, two games clear of the Osceola Magic, the affiliate of the Orlando Magic.