The New Orleans Pelicans are coming off a 26-56 season so naturally there are plenty of holes to fill. One such hole is that of a interior shot blocker. Enter Robert Williams III.
The Portland Trail Blazers center is an unrestricted free agent this offseason who will most definitely have several suitors. However, with his injury history some teams may be scared off or hesitant to give him big money.
The one-time Boston Celtic is an excellent defender and shot-blocker and it's been a while since the Pelicans have had a legitimate shot-blocking threat in the middle.
Remember Steven Adams and Jonas Valančiūnas? While both were big bodies who could clog the paint and rebound, neither was very good at blocking shots. In his first two seasons, Yves Missi has done an admirable job defensively, but he is still a work in progress.
If Joe Dumars and Troy Weaver are serious about putting a winning team on the court (it remains to be seen whether they will go the rebuild route or not), getting a shot-blocking center should be on their list of holds to fill.
One downside to the former first-round pick is his injury history. I know this is a big red flag for Pelicans fans given the trouble the team has had with injuries in the past. Williams played in just 59 games last season, but he did play in all five of the Trail Blazers’ playoff games.
Williams is a proven shot-blocker and defender
While it certainly is a risk signing a guy with the injury history that Williams has, his defense and shot-blocking ability would fill a big hole for this Pelicans team.
Williams isn’t going to wow anyone on the offensive end, as evidenced by his 6.7 points per game last season. But his main role on the Pelicans will be his rebounding and his defense. Having a shot-blocker like Williams benefits the entire defense. It allows perimeter players to put more pressure on the ball-handler, giving them the peace of mind that they have help behind them in Williams.
In his best season in 2021-2022, Williams played 61 games with the Celtics and he averaged over two blocks per game while making the NBA’s all-defensive second team.
If the Pelicans can get close to that type of production, Williams would be a great pickup.
One other very interesting stat was Williams’ three-point percentage last season. Usually someone who never even bothers to shoot threes, Williams was 39% behind the arc last year. Of course, he only took 23 total three-point shots, but it’s something to keep any eye on.
Obviously, one big question is how much Williams will cost to sign. The big man made just over $13 million last season and it wouldn’t be shocking to see him receive a similar annual value this offseason.
If this does end up being the case, the Pelicans could sign the former Texas A&M enforcer with their near-$15 million mid-level exception.
Williams won't all of a sudden fix all of the Pelicans problems, but I do think he will fix a pretty big one. The Pelicans should seriously consider signing Williams this offseason and finally get a shot-blocker to shore up their defense.
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