When the NBA released the schedule for the 2025-26 season, the Dec. 28 matchup with the Portland Trail Blazers was a highlight on the Boston Celtics’ schedule. Boston would head to Portland to face off against old friends Jrue Holiday and Robert Williams III.
Reality is often disappointing.
When both teams shared their official injury reports for Sunday, both Holiday and Williams III, two former beloved Celtics, were listed as out for the Blazers.
The former has been sidelined with a right calf strain since mid-November, so his absence against the Cs didn’t come as a surprise. Had he been healthy for his first matchup with his former team, Holiday could’ve been an impact player for sure.
In his 12 appearances for the Blazers this season, the 34-year-old averaged 16.7 points, 8.3 assists, 5.3 rebounds, and 1.6 steals per game. His efficiency didn’t dip, either. Holiday knocked down 36.5% of his 7.1 attempts per outing.
Robert Williams is showing some signs of life in Portland
Williams, ironically enough, being scratched wasn’t a given despite the exciting big man’s long injury history. He’d appeared in Portland’s previous five games, and was actually starting to look like himself again, after missing significant time in his first two seasons with the Blazers.
Deni Avdija tosses it up…
… and Robert Williams III slams it down!
Portland out in front early in the 2Q.
Watch here: https://t.co/xRf1OkOlNF pic.twitter.com/UqdUNbvz1A
— NBA (@NBA) December 27, 2025
The team’s decision to hold him out on Sunday is one that comes as a precaution. Portland’s matchup with the Cs is their first leg in a back-to-back, as they’ll play the Dallas Mavericks on Monday night.
With a player as injury-prone as Williams III, you can never be too careful in these situations.
Especially since he’s trending in the right direction. This season for the Blazers, the former Celtics big man is averaging 6.0 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks per game in just under 16 minutes each night.
If the Celtics could re-add Robert Williams III for the right price, that could be a lot of fun.
He’s not durable enough to play the role he once did in Boston, at nearly 30 minutes per game, but is showing signs of being an effective rotation center — which is why you’re starting to hear Celtics fans whisper about a potential reunion.
Timelord is a free agent this upcoming summer, and it just so happens that the Cs could use some frontcourt depth. Not to mention that his fragility will keep other teams from offering him contracts that would be out of Boston’s price range.
Maybe if they can convince him to come back on a mid-level exception type deal, it could work.