The Rise of Jose Alvarado…
Where do we begin?
Maybe I start with his football playing days being ended with a neck injury? But he still chased a dream. Do I talk about how he recorded the first-ever quadruple-double in school history in high school? And still wanted more. Then went on to be named the Times Ledger Player of the Year? Yet was still left hungry. When he committed to Georgia Tech, fractured his elbow ending his freshman year? Then increased all his numbers the following year across the board. Maybe when he came to the league and went undrafted? But he didn’t let it slow his swagger. Let’s just start here, the most important part, the part we all hope is Pelicans history in the making. Where he grinded out minutes in a league that is truly the 1% of the top 1% of all players in the world.
He’s electric.
If you have watched half a pelican game all season that Jose Alvarado played in, there is no way you missed him. Even if you were half-watching, he likely caught your eye. Jose has come off the bench and just made a difference, he gave the coaches no option to make minutes for him. I could talk about his stats, but I don’t believe any number matters that I can show you. If you came here to be fed stats, you might as well go check out his page on ESPN, this is just a piece about the sheer effort Jose puts out there every single night.
He’s different.
I have commonly referred to guys like Pat Beverly as someone you hate when he’s against you, but love on your team, Jose is in a whole new class on his own. If you missed it, Joel Embiid, a fan favorite for the MVP this year, paid his technical foul fine because “I just like his energy”. These guys aren’t friends, they aren’t old college buddies. Joel just likes Jose. While he may be referred to as a pest-style player on defense, he caught the eye of one of the current NBA greats. I remember when Antonio Daniels started mentioning they need to dismiss the notion that Josh Hart was a “just” hustle guy and actually a high IQ player with a high motor. I think it’s that time to start recognizing this about Jose as well.
He’s infectious.
If you are reading this article by mistake and you have never watched a New Orleans Pelicans game. I implore you, catch one. Catch the insane amount of energy, and drive that Jose has. He has one speed, FASTER. You can look at his eyes and already tell he is thinking about the next 10 possible things to happen, and the 37 ways he can prevent it. He drives, he kicks, he scores. He does everything you want a guard to do. He is relentless, and whoever shares the court with him notices, and follows the lead. Maybe I am alone, but I don’t think I have ever seen Brandon Ingram smile as much as I do this year with Jose walking next to him. As much as Jose can learn from the New Orleans Legend that is Ingram, I think Brandon has learned a lot from Jose. I don’t think it is any surprise Ingram’s defensive effort and assist numbers are up when he’s hanging around a guy who has done that better than any guard the Pelicans have had in quite some time.
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