Trail Blazers center Robert Williams III will miss at least four-to-six weeks due to undergoing an arthroscopic procedure in his knee, according to NBA insider Chris Haynes (Twitter link). Williams had been dealing with inflammation in the knee. Given that there is less than a month left in the regular season, this will almost assuredly knock Williams out for the rest of the regular season.
Portland is only 2.0 games back of the play-in tournament, so if they were to reach that point and make it to the playoffs, there’s technically a chance Williams could return at some point in the postseason during that four-to-six week timeline. However, that may be unlikely even if the Blazers made it that far.
Williams hasn’t played since Feb. 20 and has been limited to 20 games (three starts) with Portland this year. He’s averaging 5.8 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.7 blocks this year. Williams has appeared in just 26 total games since being traded to the Trail Blazers before the start of last season.
At full health, Williams is one of the premier defenders in the league. He averaged 10.0 points, 9.6 rebounds, 0.9 steals and 2.2 blocks in the 2021/22 season, finishing seventh in Defensive Player of the Year voting. He’s appeared in 235 career games.
With Williams and fellow big man Deandre Ayton dealing with injuries this year, rookie center Donovan Clingan has filled the middle spot for Portland and is performing admirably.