Robert Williams III joined the Portland Trail Blazers in the second half of the Damian Lillard trade and hours before 2023-24 training camp. Given the team\u2019s youth movement, the accepted view at the time was that the veteran big would be moved for more assets within one or two transaction windows.<\/p>\n
Though injury-prone and undersized, Williams had established himself as one of the league\u2019s premier centers with the Boston Celtics thanks to other-worldly athleticism and natural defensive instincts. When healthy, the 6\u20199 Louisianan was destined to be a key piece in a championship run.<\/p>\n
In 209 games and five seasons with the Celtics, Williams averaged 7.3 points, 6.9 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.7 boards in 20.5 minutes. In 2021-22, he enjoyed his best campaign to date, making the All-Defensive Second Team and finishing seventh in Defensive Player of the Year voting behind teammate and winner Marcus Smart.<\/p>\n
He also played a key role for the Celtics during those NBA Playoffs, helping Boston all the way to the NBA Finals before losing to the Golden State Warriors.<\/p>\n
So when he was included, alongside Malcolm Brogdon and two first-round picks to Portland, General Manager Joe Cronin was widely lauded for the return, which would no doubt deliver further assets. At the time, Williams was primed to be moved again as the Blazers dove deeper into a rebuild after already yielding center Deandre Ayton in the first part of the Lillard trade.<\/p>\n
Unfortunately, Williams\u2019 body broke down before the 2024 NBA Trade Deadline. If it was Cronin\u2019s wish to move Williams during every ensuing transaction window, his ongoing injury concerns made it objectively harder.<\/p>\n
But as we approach the end of his contract this summer, Williams is relatively healthy, which begs the question about where he spends the next part of his career.<\/p>\n
After contributing in only 26 games through his initial two Portland campaigns, Williams has finally gotten on the court this season, playing 39 of a possible 57 games. He would have played more but the Blazers have learned their lesson and taken the precautionary approach of not playing him in both ends of back-to-backs.<\/p>\n
While his averages of 6.3 points, 6.3 boards, 1.1 assists and 1.4 blocks in 16.2 minutes don\u2019t look particularly impressive, Williams is more than just a collection of numbers in a box score. When healthy, the 6\u20199 center boasts the athleticism and instincts to corral smaller, faster players while also capably hindering taller and more imposing opponents.<\/p>\n
He\u2019s an example of how using angles, timing and old-fashioned grit can be just as imposing as someone standing seven-foot with a ridiculous wingspan.<\/p>\n
His main source of offense comes around the rim, in lob and putback opportunities as well as being a decent passer in traffic. He\u2019s also added an in-case-of-emergency three-point shot this season, hitting 43.8 percent on 16 attempts, though I would never want to rely on it regularly.<\/p>\n
Among bigs, he ranks fourth in points per shot attempts at 1.55, sixth in effective field goal percentage at 77.6 percent, second in two-point percentage at 79.1 percent and third in points at the rim at 83.2 percent. On defense he\u2019s fifth in block rate, swatting 4.3 percent of opponent attempts and ninth in defensive rebound rate, catching 24.4 percent of opponent missed shots.<\/p>\n