Portland Trail Blazers center Robert Williams is healthy and ready for Wednesday’s season opener at the LA Clippers after his preseason was derailed by a frustrating knee injury.
“I’m feeling great,” Williams said following Monday’s practice. “Got a first game coming up, first game I’ll play with these guys. Just anxious right now.”
Williams, acquired from Boston in a trade executed before training camp, is anxious because he missed all four of the team’s preseason games. Blazers coach Chauncey Billups held Williams out of the first game against the New Zealand Breakers in order to give him time to catch up physically after joining the team following the trade.
Then in a practice following the win over the Breakers, Williams and forward Jerami Grant banged into one another leading to Williams injuring his knee.
“A couple of athletic guys going for the ball,” Williams said.
The incident was enough for Billups to hold Williams out of the team’s final three preseason games.
“They wanted to take the cautious route,” Williams said. “I disagreed with them.”
Williams said he felt that he could have played through the injury but lost that discussion. He won’t be held back Wednesday.
“It’s full go as far as I know,” Williams said.
Williams will backup starting center Deandre Ayton. The pair could also see time on the court together with Williams at power forward.
“It will just be like a lot of repetitions,” Williams said. “They’ve been putting us in a couple of sets playing with each other, letting us scrimmage with each other a little bit.”
Despite missing the preseason, Williams said he doesn’t believe he lost much in terms of time building chemistry with teammates.
“I feel like we made up for it in practice,” Williams said. “It will take a while to build great team chemistry.”
Williams, a lover of nature, said he has enjoyed Oregon’s greenery.
“I’ve been loving the trees,” he said. “The scenery driving into practice every day.”
He transfers those feel-good vibes onto the court where he is one of the team’s most enthusiastic and fun personalities.
“We’re away from home, we’re away from family a lot,” he said. “Our job is fun so you’ve got to have fun and lift these guys up.”
That personality also makes Williams one of the team’s best communicators on the court. Billups said Williams plays with a high basketball IQ and will be a threat as a passer from the center position.
Even though Williams was absent during preseason games, Billups has been working out how he will use the 6-foot-9 defensive standout this season.
“We’ve got a plan for Robert,” Billups said.
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