July 22, 2024
Lucas Peltier/USA TODAY Sports
Ricky Council IV looked like a man amongst boys for much of his time in NBA Summer League this month.
The 2024 Summer League Sixers have completed their schedule after Sunday evening's game against the Boston Celtics, and now the team's various youngsters will return to their individual training in preparation for the team's training camp. The Sixers had plenty of talented players on their roster this month, but the eyes of most were focused on three players: guard Jared McCain, the No. 16 overall pick in last month's NBA Draft, second-year wing Ricky Council and center Adem Bona, who the team drafted No. 41 overall the day after it selected McCain.
After eight games between the team's time in Salt Lake City and Las Vegas, what have we learned about McCain, Council and Bona?
Unfortunately for the Sixers, McCain struggled mightily for the vast majority of his Summer League action, particularly during the games in Las Vegas — though his final showing was a strong one.
• McCain knows what his capabilities are — and perhaps more importantly, he knows what he cannot do. When you watch McCain operate, particularly when he puts the ball on the floor as a driver, you can tell he understands what his athletic limitations are and how he must work around them to succeed. He did not always succeed during these few weeks, but the blueprint is there.
• Far too often, players billed as great three-point shooters turn out to be a bit too hesitant to launch from beyond the arc at high volume, from multiple steps behind the three-point line or over solid contests. This was one of Buddy Hield's issues after he was traded to the Sixers last season. That will not be a problem for McCain, who continued the fearless display he put on during his time at Duke University. McCain will catch and shoot from just about any spot on the floor, he will comfortably pull up from multiple steps behind the three-point line in transition or the half-court and is not bothered by contests. All of this will do him well at the next level — even if it did not translate to shots actually going in during many of these contests.
• McCain has poor size for a shooting guard, and that combined with subpar athleticism makes him an easy target for opposing offenses. The Sixers believe he made major strides as a defensive player during his time with the Blue Devils, but he still seems very far away from being viable on that end in any sort of high-leverage situation.
• The reason McCain's suboptimal frame for a shooting guard is concerning is because he does not appear to have the requisite playmaking chops to be a true point guard. He is a good enough ball-handler to bring the ball up the floor and perhaps get a team into its actions, but even though he had a few nifty assists in Summer League, it is hard to envision him being a primary ball-handler in the next few years.
• McCain's lack of burst limits his self-creation abilities, as he frequently struggled to get by defenders in Summer League. McCain seems smart and crafty enough to be reliable as a decision-maker if the advantage has already been created, but he does not appear to be a good bet to create those looks at any point in the near future.
I always struggle to change my outlook on a young player's future drastically based on a handful of Summer League games — particularly when the player is a rookie — but it is hard not to at least be somewhat disappointed with what McCain showed during this handful of games. While McCain being self-aware about his flaws is a positive, the fact that so many of them exist is a negative. At the very least, McCain being part of the team's regular rotation early in the season seems hard to fathom after he struggled to this extent in an inferior environment (though the team signing Eric Gordon within hours of NBA free agency beginning led me to believe this was the case to begin with).
Council began Summer League with a masterpiece in Utah, knocking down five threes in the team's first game — including four in the fourth quarter alone. The remainder of his time had some speed bumps along the way, but was largely impressive.
• Council is clearly working hard on the three-point shot. Like for many other wings with outstanding athleticism, whether or not Council can become a reliable spot-up shooter from beyond the arc will be what swings the trajectory of his career in one way or the other. Not only are his results improving, but his confidence as a shooter at least appears to be growing with every passing game.
• Getting to the free throw line was Council's calling card during his collegiate career, and he managed to draw fouls at will during limited NBA minutes as a rookie despite never having a featured role in the Sixers' offense. Council was able to persuade referees to blow their whistles whenever he wanted to in Summer League with aggressive and physical drives. What is just as important is that he shot very well once he got to the line. It is a rare signature skill for someone who profiles as a role player, but the Sixers should be thrilled to see him flourishing when he puts the ball on the floor to this extent.
• Like with most of their wing players, the Sixers will encourage Council to be an aggressive, risk-taking playmaker on the defensive end of the floor. He did exactly that in Summer League, using his physical tools that can occasionally overwhelm opposing offensive players to force turnovers and leak out in transition, where he is already lethal.
• There can be unique value stemming from a player who is occasionally all over the place — there is nothing wrong with controlled chaos — but Council does need to harness his energy and athleticism more wisely moving forward. Perhaps some of his frequent poor decisions on offense stemmed from playing in a role much more expansive than he ever will in an NBA setting, but it is not hard to imagine Sixers head coach Nick Nurse (or any coach, for that matter) having some trust issues with Council early on.
Council improved his stock this month and figures to be in the mix for the team's final rotation spot when training camp begins. His biggest competition for minutes is likely KJ Martin.
Many are excited about Bona, and it is easy to see why when you watch all of the appeals of his game. But there are also some serious causes for concern that have been spotlighted over the last few weeks.
• Bona's motor is as advertised: he never stops working on either end of the floor, sometimes to a fault (more on this momentarily). He runs up and down the floor as if it is the last possession of an NBA Finals game, is relentless in his pursuit of rebounds and will contest every dunk attempt with no fear of being posterized.
• Bona is a bit shorter than the average center, but he makes up for it with incredible length and outstanding leaping ability. Not only is he capable of throwing down put-back dunks, but he has an impressive catch radius as a rim-running lob threat.
• Having a center who can finish alley-oops is a positive for any offense, but Bona lacks any other sort of utility on that end of the floor. He is a total non-shooter with poor hands. What he can do on offense beyond setting a screen and hoping for a lane to charge downhill and throw down a dunk is unclear.
• Bona struggled mightily with fouling during his collegiate career, and those issues only escalated in this environment. Bona would have been in foul trouble during nearly every single Summer League game if the foul limit was not raised to 10; even with that increased figure, he was in foul trouble more than a few times. On one hand, as someone expected to receive small doses of playing time, fouling out is not much of a risk. But on the other hand, constantly sending opponents to the free throw line or helping them inch closer to being in the bonus is a significant hinderance to winning.
• Bona has a very real chance to become a quality rotation big, but every piece of evidence we have suggests he is raw and should be considered somewhat of a development project. The current state of the Sixers roster paints a different picture, because Joel Embiid and Andre Drummond are the only other centers on their roster. The Sixers have three open roster spots remaining; using one on a center to protect Bona from being overtasked as a rookie would be prudent.
It is clear that becoming a quality backup center is very much within Bona's range of outcomes. But for now, he is the team's third-string center after signing a four-year standard NBA contract. Embiid missing a significant amount of action is inevitable. Is Bona ready for NBA minutes in just a few months from now? I am a bit skeptical.
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