Robert Williams III was the unsung hero of the Portland Trail Blazers' Game 2 road win over the San Antonio Spurs.
He finished the contest with 11 points, nine rebounds, four assists, and two blocks. But given Williams' two-way prowess, he's always been the type of valuable role player to impact winning well beyond the counting stats. A plus/minus of +13 in just 23 minutes of action may be better reflective of the value Williams had on Portland's upset win, as he turned out to be the X-Factor coming off the bench. He even finished a crucial lob from Deni Avdija, putting Portland up three with 11 seconds remaining.
That shouldn't come as a surprise to those who've followed Portland throughout this season, as Time Lord has finally put together a relatively healthy and, consequently, impactful season.
Robert Williams III continues proving his value to Portland
He's set to hit free agency this offseason with a $13.3 million contract set to expire. This Game 2 performance should only continue strengthening what has become a convincing case for the Blazers to at least offer him a contract this summer.
Of course, some of this production comes as a double-edged sword for Portland. Williams has arguably been the best backup big man in the association this season and should command a market this summer despite his extensive injury history.
On The Bill Simmons Podcast, Bill Simmons previously predicted a contract in the range of a three-year, $50 million deal, adding that "there's going to be another cycle for him as a guy that good teams talk themselves into as a playoff guy."
Well, it turns out that Portland has become that playoff team in need of his services.
The Blazers have exceeded expectations this season, ending a four-year playoff drought and now somehow evening the series against San Antonio. They likely wouldn't be in this position had it not been for Williams.
He's not only back to looking like his former Boston Celtics version of an elite lob threat and rim protector. But he's also proving to be the perfect fit in Portland's frontcourt rotation. Donovan Clingan has been incredible with his second-year breakout, but he does have limitations when it comes to guarding stretch fives or mobile bigs. Additionally, Portland still doesn't even know what they have in Yang Hansen. Even if their rookie project does pan out, there's a redundancy in their weaknesses as two drop coverage bigs.
Williams gives Tiago Splitter that much-needed flexibility with a more versatile piece. He's not just insurance in case Hansen doesn't pan out; he's another frontcourt dimension that Portland would lack if he landed elsewhere. We're seeing the value of that firsthand in Portland's playoff push this season, and the need to keep Williams around next season should become even more important as playoff expectations are heightened.
Time Lord has survived trade rumors throughout his entire Blazers tenure, but this season we've really seen why they've continued to value him higher than consensus despite the injury concerns. Their Game 2 win with Williams spelling Clingan only strengthened the case to keep him beyond this season.
Portland would have an impossible void to fill if he doesn't ultimately stick around in Rip City, and they need to do everything they can to ensure that doesn't happen.
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