Ex-Boston Celtics defensive anchor receives devastating injury news

Some things never change. Different city. Same issues. According to a report on Monday night on the East Coast by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, former Boston Celtics center and current Trail Blazer Robert Williams III will require right knee surgery after sustaining an injury in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s 12-point defeat to the Memphis Grizzlies.

He attempted to play through the pain after falling to the floor while trying to guard Jaren Jackson Jr. This is not the same knee that Williams III had surgery on ahead of the Celtics’ 2022-23 campaign.

There is no timeline as of now when the center will be back repping the red and black. The report also expressed the fact that discussions are still being had about what the right steps are going forward.

A past first-round pick by the Boston Celtics, Chauncey Billups just wants to turn the page since seeing the franchise’s face head to Milwaukee. It’s difficult to do with the list of unavailable players getting larger by the day. The Louisiana native joins an injury report that includes valuable pieces like rookie Scoot Henderson, dynamic guard Anfernee Simons, and Ish Wainright.

In the world of the former Boston big, it never rains. It just pours. Another surgery. Another setback. Though it makes the Jrue Holiday trade look that much better, nobody wants to see a beloved Celtic like Williams III miss even more time than he already has in his career.

The former No. 27 overall selection competed in just 35 contests in the regular season for the green and white last season. Just six games into his time with a new team, his other knee demands repair.

He has come off the bench at the beginning of his career in Portland, behind another new addition to the Blazers, Deandre Ayton. When healthy, it has to be said that Portland may have the best one-two punch at the center position in the association.

Emphasis on “healthy”.

The 2022 All-NBA Defensive Second Team selection had multiple blocks in two straight games just a week ago. His impact when on the floor was something that could not be stressed enough when he was in green. No. 44 was a game-changer defensively while opening up some vertical spacing in the halfcourt offense.

Ex-Boston Celtics big man Robert Williams III has had some of the worst luck since coming into the league

No matter what the timeline says in the coming days or weeks, Williams III may most likely fail to reach 40 games played for the fourth season in his professional career. Injuries are a normal part of any athlete’s story, but it is beginning to define the career of the ex-Boston big.

Hopefully, if Portland sits just outside the playoff line in February and March, one of the most influential defensive players in the NBA will be back to push it over the top. That’s still a big “if.”

For now, it’s about accessing the correct path to go down next to get Williams III back to playing the game he loves.