Robert Williams is with the Blazers, but Jaylen Brown had a tough reaction to his former teammate having knee surgery.
The Boston Celtics went all out this offseason, trading multiple key pieces in order to gear up for the 2023-24 season. One of the major players dealt was center Robert Williams III, a high-flying big man sought after by numerous teams.
Just days before training camp, the C’s sent Williams to the Portland Trail Blazers as part of a package for two-time All-Star Jrue Holiday. Although Portland doesn’t have high expectations this season, Williams was carving out a role for himself on the bench while averaging 6.8 points and 6.3 rebounds per outing.
Unfortunately, the injury issues Williams has been dealing with his whole career are once again threatening his time in the league. Following a loss to the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday, it was reported that the 26-year-old may need season-ending surgery on his right knee, per NBA insider Shams Charania.
Celtics star Jaylen Brown, who was teammates with “Timelord” for five seasons, revealed that he was texting him a few days before the injury news. Once Brown found out, he dished on Williams’ time with the Celtics and how much their relationship means to him, per CLNS reporter Bobby Manning.
Jaylen Brown texted Robert Williams telling him he loved him and he'd see him soon. Two days later, he learned Rob would potentially miss the season with another injury: "It's tough. Rob is strong, so I know he'll be able to recover and work through it. When he was here, I…
— Bobby Manning (@RealBobManning) November 8, 2023
“Rob is strong, so I know he’ll be able to recover and work through it,” Brown stated. “When he was [in Boston], I definitely had a friend, had a brother. We were similar in mindsets. Didn’t say a lot, didn’t talk to a lot of people, but we understood each other. Rob was definitely somebody that I had a lot of respect for and was a great friend while he was here.”
Even though Williams has only played six games as a Blazer, he seemed to be developing his shot more than ever. The 2018 first-round pick is known for his defense, yet so far this season he’s connected on three out of his five shots from beyond 15 feet. In his last campaign with the Celtics, he only attempted four shots from beyond 15 feet all season, making just one in the process.
Whether or not Williams puts up another shot in the coming months remains to be seen, but hopefully, he’ll return to action sometime next year.
