Former KU guard Melvin Council Jr. brings his ‘dog’ mentality to NBA workouts
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Council worked out for the Pacers ahead of the June 23-24, 2026 draft.
- He averaged 12.7 points, 5.0 rebounds and 5.1 assists for Kansas that season.
- He was Portsmouth Invitational MVP, averaging 19.3 points in three games.
Regarded as a possible second-round pick in the 2026 NBA Draft or free-agent acquisition for a Las Vegas summer-league team, Melvin Council Jr., promises any organization that gives him a chance will not be sorry.
The former University of Kansas combo guard revealed his sales pitch to NBA teams ahead of the June 23-24 draft during an interview conducted after last Thursday’s workout with the Indiana Pacers.
“(I’m a) hard-nosed guy, a dog, competitive, not going to back down from any situation,” said Council, who according to published reports also worked out for the Brooklyn Nets on Monday after sessions with the Sacramento Kings, Milwaukee Bucks and Orlando Magic — and “four or five more coming up.”
“I don’t care if LeBron’s in front of me, K.D. (Kevin Durant), Tyrese (Haliburton), I’m not going to back down,” Council said. “They’re going to score, but I’m going to keep them coming, like they are going to see my face every day.”
Council said he’s currently trying to show pro coaches and front-office personnel that “I can shoot the ball, have confidence in my shot and make people around me better.”
Council, a 6-foot-4, 180-pound, 24-year-old native of Rochester, New York, showed some of that feistiness during the recent Pacers’ workout.
He went against former Iowa State standout guard Tamin Lipsey, who like Council is a possible second-round pick or a free-agent member of a Las Vegas summer-league entry.
“Lipsey, that’s my guy,” Council said. “He’s from Iowa State so every time I play him I just want to get the best out of him. He gets the best out of me and as you can see, my shirt (sweat soaked) … it was a dog fight between me and him today.”
He noted the Pacers’ workout for draft hopefuls was “competitive, 1-on-1, 3-on-3, 2-on-2, just more guards were here today.”
Council was asked by Pacers media to discuss his finest game as a Jayhawk. The transfer from St. Bonaventure hit nine 3-pointers and scored a career-high 36 points in KU’s 77-76 overtime win over North Carolina State on Dec. 13 in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Council, who had made just 5 of 27 threes entering the game, was 9-of-15 from beyond the arc versus the Wolfpack and 13-of-27 overall. He scored KU’s last 13 points of regulation and fed Flory Bidunga for a go-ahead dunk with 51.9 seconds left in OT.
Council’s 36 points were the most by a Jayhawk since Jalen Wilson had 38 on Jan. 17, 2023 at Kansas State. And his nine made 3s were second-most by a KU player — Terry Brown had 11 in 1991, also against N.C. State.
“It meant a lot,” Council said, “because I’m big after every game looking at the comments, Twitter stuff, and people saying, ‘He can’t shoot.’
“I get it. I was like 5-for-47 going into the N.C. State game, and I just started to catch on fire and I thank (N.C. State guard) Quadir Copeland for doing that, because he started talking junk to me before the game and I told him that I could shoot it. He said, ‘OK, we’re going to see.’’’
What KU coach Bill Self said he saw that night was “probably the best performer that I’ve had on the road in 23 years as the head coach at Kansas.”
Council said he’s well-equipped to play at the next level after spending a season practicing against — and playing in games with — KU one-and-done player Darryn Peterson, a 6-5 guard who is expected to be taken No. 1 or 2 overall in this month’s draft.
“He made tough shots on me,” Council said of scrimmage situations during practice. “Checking an NBA player made me realize that I need to do more on defense. Just know his ability to score helped us a lot.”
Council also said it meant a lot to become a fan favorite at home games in Allen Fieldhouse. For the year, he averaged 12.7 points, 5.1 assists and 5.0 rebounds per game while shooting 39.2% from the field and 30.8% behind the 3-point line.
“Being part of a (24-11) team like that? It was great,” Council said. “Lawrence is a place that I could go home forever. The atmosphere, the culture, the fans, it is just love. We play for the fans. Some fans can’t make it to the game, so we’ve got to try to bring our best performance where they could watch it on TV. And the culture is just different.
“Coach Self always preached next man up, and that’s what we live by. When Darryn was hurt we just had the next man up. Kansas is a big-time basketball school so we had to win games.”
Council after the season ended was named MVP of the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, an annual event in April for college seniors hoping to play in the NBA, the G League or overseas. He averaged 19.3 points, 6.3 assists, 5.7 rebounds and 1.7 steals while shooting 45.7% from the field in three games. He also attended the G League Combine but was not invited to the NBA Combine. He’s completing the pre-draft evaluation process with numerous workouts in NBA cities.
Asked what he thought of maybe playing for the Pacers, he said: “I see myself fitting in — defending, doing all the little things right. (It’s a) young team and I feel I could do well being around that.”
