The Portland Trail Blazers may try to make a leap forward this season, and former Boston Celtics first-round pick Robert Williams III could be a casualty of that plan. Donovan Clingan looks poised to be the franchise's big man for years to come, and behind him, they have rookie Hansen Yang, whom the Blazers took with the No. 16 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft and seem very high on.
That leaves Williams. He’s a great defensive center, but injury concerns loom large. And for a team looking to take the next step in pushing for the postseason, they may prioritize guys who can stay on the court.
Williams is getting put in a tough spot.
How can Robert Williams III help the Blazers?
Last season, Williams appeared in 20 games for the Blazers, playing 17.6 minutes per contest. He averaged 5.8 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks while shooting 64.1% from the field.
Unfortunately, since Williams was traded to Portland in the Jrue Holiday deal back in the summer of 2023, he’s only appeared in 26 games for the organization: Six games in his first season there and only 20 this past year.
Since entering the league in 2018, Williams has only played in 235 NBA games. He’s only played in more than 60 games once, and he has only cracked the 50-game mark twice.
That said, when he’s on the court, Williams is one of the most impressive defenders in the NBA. His freakish athleticism and impressive timing allow him to rack up blocks better than almost anyone.
Meanwhile, on the offensive end, he’s a constant lob threat and an underrated passer, especially for the big-man position. Theoretically, Williams could even spend some time alongside Clingan and/or Yang.
However, that’s where Portland could run into some spacing issues. Yang could end up being a solid three-point shooter, but Clingan seems likely to do most of his damage inside the arc. With Williams, a non-shooter, in the lineup, too, Portland could be in need of more shooting.
Instead of that, the Blazers rolling out Jrue Holiday, Shaedon Sharpe, Toumani Camara, Jerami Grant, and Clingan seems like the more likely scenario. Then, they can bring Scoot Henderson, Dalano Banton, Deni Avdija, Kris Murray, and Yang off the pine.
That doesn’t leave many minutes for Williams, especially with guys like Jabari Walker and Duop Reath also lying in wait at the end of the bench.
Williams’ injury issues may finally be coming back to bite him to the point where he could end up out of the league soon. He just can’t stay on the court, and it seems as though the Blazers are planning for life without him.