The Portland Trail Blazers have been one of the best teams in the NBA in the very early portion of the season. Ja Morant and Damian Lillard have been fitting in very well, and the team’s depth has been great, too. One guy who has stood out, in particular, has been Robert Williams III. He’s earning every penny of the new contract Portland handed him this summer.
Through his first few games this season, Williams has been one of the team’s most important players off the bench. He’s been backing up Donovan Clingan, and the impact he makes when he’s on the court is undeniable. He’s a monster on defense, a legitimate lob threat, and has also been doing well on the boards.
Injury concerns still linger. That much cannot be ignored. But so far, Williams has been awesome. He’s making the Blazers look sharp for handing him his current contract.
Robert Williams contract already looks great
This summer, Williams was set to hit unrestricted free agency. He could have gone anywhere. But the Blazers made sure to lock him up on a new contract before other teams had a chance to sway him.
Portland inked Williams to a three-year, $44 million contract. That’s an average annual value of roughly $14.7 million per season. That may seem steep, but it’s working out.
Williams is definitely worth that money. The problem is, his injury history makes giving him the contract an inherent risk. If he’s not on the floor, he won’t be able to live up to the deal.
But so far this season, Williams has been healthy. He has been on the court. And as a result, he has been living up to the money Portland decided to pay him this offseason.
On Tuesday night, in the Blazers’ win over the Los Angeles Lakers, Williams played 20:54 off the bench. He ended the night with 14 points, 10 rebounds, one assist, two steals, and one block while shooting 6-of-8 from the floor.
So far this season, in his three appearances, Williams has been playing 18.0 minutes per contest. He has averaged 9.7 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 1.0 block on 76.5% shooting from the floor.
He’s been great. And more importantly, he’s been able to stay on the court. That’s exactly what the Blazers need from him more than anything.
Now, obviously, it’s still early. Portland has only played three games. Williams is going to have to do a lot more to make his new contract worthwhile for the Blazers.
But the early returns are very, very promising.
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