By Shams Charania, Sam Amick, Jay King and Jared Weiss
Portland Trail Blazers center Robert Williams III will have season-ending right kneecap surgery to repair bone and ligament damage, league sources confirmed Friday. Here’s what you need to know:
- Williams’ surgery is set for Monday in Houston, league sources said.
- Williams averaged 6.8 points, 6.3 rebounds, 1.2 steals and 1.2 blocks through six games with the Trail Blazers this season.
- The 2021-22 All-Defensive team selection is in his first season with Portland after being traded from the Boston Celtics in the two-team deal that sent Jrue Holiday to the Celtics.
- Williams missed the first 29 games of the 2022-23 season after undergoing surgery in his left knee during the offseason.
How Williams was injured
Williams suffered the injury when his knee collided with Memphis Grizzlies big Jaren Jackson Jr. at the 10:46 mark of the fourth quarter Sunday evening. His right kneecap moved out of place, chipping a bone and damaging a ligament, according to team and league sources who were granted anonymity because they were not authorized to speak on the record.
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The Blazers center had his knee drained on Monday as medical staff evaluated potential treatment options, per team sources. They evaluated whether he would need a full repair of the knee or a cleanup procedure that would have allowed him to return later this season.
He previously had surgery on a torn meniscus in his left knee in March 2022 and was able to return early for Boston’s Finals run. He then required a follow-up procedure to clean out that knee in September 2022, causing him to miss the first two months of the ‘22-23 season. Williams has only played more than 50 games twice in his six years in the NBA, with a career-high 61 games in the ’21-22 season in which the Celtics made the NBA Finals. — Jared Weiss, Celtics writer
Injury woes continue for Williams
When healthy, Williams has been one of the NBA’s best defenders. Offensively, he has impacted games with his athleticism and court vision. The Celtics were regularly much, much better with him on the court late in his tenure with the team.
His problem has been staying on the court. Williams only played 35 regular-season games for Boston last season and has now had three-straight seasons derailed by knee surgeries. At 26, his history of injury issues is concerning. — Jay King, Celtics writer
Could Williams be traded at the deadline?
Moving forward, the latest injury could take Williams off the table as a trade option for contenders.
Suitors were expected to line up to attempt to pry him away from the Trail Blazers, who are near the beginning of a rebuilding project. This injury appears to be serious enough to quiet the talk that he could be moved. — King
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(Photo: Tim Nwachukwu / Getty Images)
