Portland Trail Blazers big man Robert Williams III looked impressive once again in Sunday’s win over the Atlanta Hawks.
In just 25 minutes off the bench, the center recorded 16 points, eight rebounds and two assists with a plus-minus of +20 in a four-point win for Portland.
Earlier this month, Williams made his seasonal debut for the Trail Blazers coming off another knee surgery which saw him miss the majority of the previous campaign.
The 27-year-old made his name with the Boston Celtics, where he was drafted with the 27th overall pick in 2018 – becoming an Eastern Conference champion in 2022 and earning his place on the All-Defensive Second Team.
When healthy, Williams is widely regarded as one of the best defenders in the land and he possesses the freak athleticism that only a few can boast of – but keeping him on the court consistently has been an issue.
One of his most underrated attributes is undoubtedly his passing ability – Williams has the vision to be a triple-double threat and recorded the first and only one of his career in Boston a few years ago.
WATCH: Robert Williams III locks up Anthony Edwards and Jaren Jackson Jr
very good to see robert williams back and playing great ball on both ends pic.twitter.com/hpHcNgTLv4
— ben pfeifer (@bjpf_) November 18, 2024
Once upon a time, Williams was regarded as a perennial candidate for the Defensive Player of the Year award and with a bit of luck on the court it’s not crazy to think he could edge towards that level again.
At the age of just 27, Williams is entering the prime of his career and the former Texas A&M Aggie recorded a season-high 19 points on 9/10 shooting in a win over the Minnesota Timberwolves last week.
As the season progresses, there is the possibility a team like the Los Angeles Lakers could enquire about his availability – with Portland likely to be a selling team at the trade deadline in early February.
