Portland Trail Blazers big man Robert Williams III is facing the possibility of season-ending surgery to address bone and ligament damage resulting from a right kneecap injury, according to league insider Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium.
Williams sustained the knee injury during their defeat to the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday, November 5. He underwent imaging for further assessment on Monday.
Williams and his medical team are considering the option of a cleanup procedure, which would involve a recovery period estimated to be between two to three months instead of sitting out for the rest of the year.
The 26-year-old has participated in just six regular season games since joining his new team, Portland, having previously spent five seasons with the Boston Celtics.
Williams has averaged 6.8 points, 6.3 rebounds, 0.8 assists, 1.2 steals, and 1.2 blocks in 19.8 minutes per game so far in a Blazers uniform.
During his college basketball career, the former Texas A&M player spent two seasons with the team before being chosen by the Celtics as the 27th overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft. He has made the All-NBA Defensive Second Team in 2022.
Williams arrived in Portland alongside guard Malcolm Brogdon as part of the trade that sent All-NBA Defensive guard Jrue Holiday to the Celtics.
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Robert Williams III injury history
Despite establishing himself as a reliable inside presence in his NBA career, the 6-foot-9 center has faced challenges in maintaining his availability, never playing more than 61 games in a single season due to susceptibility to various injuries.
Throughout his career, he has averaged only 41.8 games per season, nearly half the standard 82-game season schedule.
His most notable injuries include a torn meniscus in his left knee in March 2022, which required surgery, leading to his absence during the early games of the 2022 NBA Playoffs, during which the Celtics advanced to the Finals.
He ultimately appeared in 17 of the Celtics' 22 games in their 2022 postseason run, detailing everything he had to go through to be able to see action, including having to constantly drain his knee.
"I can be feeling good right now, and then the next couple of hours it's pretty sore.. It's hard to deal with. When I'm out there, the adrenaline and energy takes over so I don't really think about it during games, but it for sure gets to me a lot," Williams said during the 2022 NBA Finals.
Despite seeing action in the championship series, Williams missed the start of the 2022-23 NBA season after undergoing an arthroscopic procedure on his left knee. He was only able to play in 35 regular season games last season, and his playoff minutes also dipped.
Aside from the two major knee injuries that required surgery in the past, Williams has also dealt with various knocks on his hamstring, ankle, calf, toe, foot, hip, groin, and lower back throughout his career from his rookie season.
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