Portland Trail Blazers center Robert Williams III suffered a right knee injury recently that was thought to require surgery. Now, it has become clear that Williams will need major right knee surgery to address kneecap and ligament damage that will end his season early, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

Discussions between Williams, his agent, and doctors had been ongoing the last couple of days in order to fully understand how major this right knee injury was. Upon further conversations, Williams was advised to have his injury addressed in full, that way it does not linger and hamper him down the road.

The Blazers, who acquired Williams in an offseason trade expanding from their Damian Lillard blockbuster deal, is expected to make a full recovery upon having this knee surgery and should be ready for the start of the 2024-25 season.

Alongside Deandre Ayton, who the team also acquired this offseason, Williams helped form one of the better looking frontcourts in the entire league given both player's rebounding and shot blocking abilities. Now, the Blazers are left thin on options outside of Ayton.

In six games with Portland, Williams had averaged 6.8 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks per game.

Always known for his ability to block shots dating back to his time with the Celtics, Williams will once again face an uphill journey in terms of working his way back from injury. With Boston, the 26-year-old big man underwent a partial left knee meniscectomy in 2022 and missed the start of the 2022-23 season as a result. This is now two major knee injuries in a two-year span for Williams.

Named to the All-Defensive Second Team in 2022, Williams is under contract through the 2025-26 season with no opt out clauses.