Pelicans Finding Out Jose Alvarado Is Not Fooling Around
"Jose (Alvarado) is hard to describe, but you just know he’s going to bring that passion and energy to the game that you would want to see from anybody. He knows how to make himself a threat. Don’t let him fool y’all..."
Those were Zion Williamson's words after watching Alvarado put on a show for the Smoothie King Center faithful who came out to the only true home preseason game of the year. Williamson is not falling for the tricks that destroyed the Detroit Pistons. Not after Alvarado "had 28 (points) and how many rebounds? Five? He’s doing this off the bench. We have a special group.”
The New Orleans Pelicans are running it back with last season's playoff roster but also adding Zion Williamson and rookie Dyson Daniels. Alvarado, who started the run as part of the hyped-up DNP-CD bench mob, ran with his two-way rookie contract opportunity last year to carve out some minutes on a playoff team.
Alvarado secured a guaranteed NBA deal by doing the small things like pestering Chris Paul into 8-second violations. It's that same attention to detail that will keep him on the court this season. The Puerto Rico National Team star did not take much time off this summer and has made some obvious improvements to his game.
The Georgia Tech alum was also adamant during media day that his intensity levels will remain at the same high level through all 82 games. Through three preseason games, Alvarado's production and energy this preseason has impressed his teammates. Those teammates are in turn putting the NBA on notice: Grand Theft Alvarado is no one-hit-wonder.
Devonte' Graham knows about overlooked second-round picks making unexpected second-year leaps. The former Hornet said of sophomore campaigns, "You just play with more confidence. You know what to expect. You’ve been through a season. You get used to traveling, playing, and recovering. You get more into a routine. You can just tell (Alvarado) feels way more comfortable.”
Alvarado is confident and comfortable in his spark plug role. He said having the freedom to play his game with trust from the coaching staff is "important for me and for my confidence. When I’m out there, I have to at least be a little bit of a threat. When I’m out there with CJ (McCollum), B.I. (Brandon Ingram), and Zion (Williamson), they’re going to leave someone open, and they’re not going to leave them open. They’re going to see, and I’m going to make them pay. Me making shots will make them second guess and think that they can’t just leave me open. I just want to do my part as being a threat out there.”
"I worked on just being more confident in myself from last year. I’m just learning and trying to be more consistent. I’m not the most athletic, so my floater and jump shot have to be there. It’s mostly about just locking in this whole season and being confident. My teammates always look for me and make my job easier,” Alvarado explained after beating the Pistons.
Part of that process is picking the brains of Hall of Famers like Tony Parker. Willie Green believes Alvarado's continued development is as much about being more intelligent about the game, not just the pure hustle and athleticism that led to the Grand Theft Alvarado moniker.
“I think it’s a combination,” Green said after the home win. “(Assistant coach) Brandon Demas does a great job with him in player development and watching film. Jose is building on the year he had last season. So he’s coming in with a ton of confidence, playing on the Puerto Rican national team. He just puts his work in and he loves to play. We’re getting a chance to see it on display...He has a great understanding of what we want. That's what we want from him, to come in and have a spark. It was fun to see.”
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