Ex-Celtics Center Makes History With Bizarre, Impressive Showing

The wait for Robert Williams III to get acclimated with the Portland Trail Blazers is something the Boston Celtics are far too familiar with, but the patience paid off during Tuesday night’s Emirates NBA Cup battle.

Playing 25 minutes off the bench, Williams made the very most of the opportunity, scoring 19 points on a team-high 9-for-10 shooting from the field with nine rebounds, three steals and three blocks — also team-highs. The performance wasn’t just up for debate as the greatest Williams has notched in his seven NBA seasons, it also placed the “Time Lord” in all-time historic company with a bizarrely rare feat attached.

Williams became the second player, ever, to score at least 15 points with three steals and three blocks while shooting 90% off the bench since Hall of Famer James Worthy did so over four decades ago in 1983, according to Basketball Reference’s Stathead. More importantly, it propelled the Trail Blazers to pull off a 122-108 upset victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves.

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“I just feel like I brought a good energy out there tonight,” Williams told reporters postgame, per team-provided video. “I try to start the game with the energy. I feel like a couple of us brought the energy and all of us matched it — coaches and players.”

Williams added: “I hear the oohs and the ahhs.”

He played the pick-and-roll like a fiddle, guarded the rim and brought back flashes of his time with the Celtics, quickly garnering crowd attention. However, the road to getting back on the floor was a testing time for Williams, who last offseason was traded alongside Malcolm Brogdon in the three-team Jrue Holiday trade.

From there, Williams quickly found himself back in recovery. The 27-year-old suffered a patellar dislocation that required season-ending surgery, just six games into debuting in Portland. That extended an ongoing injury-prone trend which made it difficult for Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens to entrust Williams with the durability load of being a crucial component throughout an 82-game season.

It’s held Williams back from unleashing his full potential, even though teams across the league have been put on notice for some time now for what the ceiling could be. The Trail Blazers, currently 13th in the Western Conference, are still in rebuild mode following their Damian Lillard departure, meaning there’s no rush for Williams to get back 100 percent — in Portland, at least.

“You guys have heard me since he’s been here, raving about how happy I am to coach him,” Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups said, per team-provided video. “He’s just a winner. He does every single thing that you need him to do. His feel for the game is really, really high level. His IQ is really, really, high level. And obviously, his rebounding, his blocked shots, his voice, he’s so impactful. … You get a chance to play him 25 minutes and you look what he does against one of the best teams in basketball.”

Portland sidelined Williams (rest) for Wednesday night’s matchup with Minnesota.