Former Celtics fan favorite Robert Williams will reportedly undergo surgery, ending first season with Trail Blazers
Williams suffered a knee injury on Sunday, during his sixth game with the Trail Blazers.
Robert Williams’s first season in Portland will end just a couple of weeks into the regular season.
The former Celtics center will undergo season-ending knee surgery to repair his kneecap and ligaments, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported Friday.
Williams, now with the Trail Blazers, faced the possibility of a season-ending operation after suffering a right knee injury during the team’s loss to the Grizzlies on Sunday. In the fourth quarter of that game, he banged his right knee in a collision with Grizzlies big Jaren Jackson Jr., causing his kneecap to move out of place and damaging a ligament, according to The Athletic. The Trail Blazers drained his knee on Monday, and it was reported later that day that Williams would either undergo an operation to clean up the knee that would allow him to return after a few months or surgery that would end his season.
This is the second notable knee injury that Williams has suffered over the last few seasons, but both were to different knees. He tore the meniscus in his left knee in late March 2022, missing roughly a month of action, and played with the Celtics for much of their playoff run to the NBA Finals that year. He had to undergo a second operation on that knee in September 2022 for a cleanup, keeping him off the floor until December of last season.
The Celtics traded away Williams as part of the deal to land Jrue Holiday, also moving Malcolm Brogdon and two first-round picks in the October trade.
Williams, who turned 26 later in October, became a fan favorite in Boston not long after the Celtics drafted him in 2018, receiving the nickname “Time Lord” from the fanbase during his rookie season. His play also grew on fans for his ability to make highlight above-the-rim plays with flashy dunks and blocks. He also proved to be valuable during the 2021-22 season, leading the league in defensive rating that season.
Williams played off the bench in all six games he played with the Trail Blazers this season, scoring 6.8 points and grabbing 6.3 rebounds per game. He also added 1.2 blocks and 1.2 steals in 19.8 minutes per game, with Portland going 2-4 in the games he played.
Even though Williams had just arrived in Portland, several other teams eyed him as a possible trade candidate ahead of February’s deadline, according to Wojnarowski.
To comment, please create a screen name in your profile
To comment, please verify your email address
Conversation
This discussion has ended. Please join elsewhere on Boston.com