Robert Williams III did the work that does not always make the highlights until the game is hanging by a thread. He finished with 11 points, nine rebounds, four assists and two blocks in 23 minutes, then sealed the Portland Trail Blazers’ road win over the San Antonio Spurs by finishing a lob from Deni Avdija with 11 seconds left.
That play put Portland up three and helped even the series, the kind of finish that can turn a role player into the reason a team sleeps better after a playoff game. Williams also posted a plus-minus of plus-13, a reminder that his value went well beyond the box score in Game 2.
The performance fits a season in which Williams has been healthy enough to matter and impactful enough to reshape how Portland views him. He has been, by the numbers and the tape, arguably the best backup big man in the association this season. That matters because his $13.3 million contract is set to expire this offseason, and he is headed for free agency just as Portland has already outperformed expectations by snapping a four-year playoff drought.
Williams’ rise has also revived a contract conversation that has been floating around him for months. On The Bill Simmons Podcast, Simmons previously said there is going to be another cycle for him as a guy that good teams talk themselves into as a playoff guy, and he had already floated a three-year, $50 million deal. After a night like this, the argument for Portland making the next move is easier to make. For more on his Celtics ties as Portland chases a playoff spot, see Robert Williams Iii keeps Celtics ties as Portland chases playoff spot.
The Blazers likely would not be in this position without him, and that is the part that will matter most when the season ends and the front office has to decide whether this was a breakout night or the start of a longer stay in Portland.
