Jose Alvarado explodes with 38 points against the Denver Nuggets: the definitive confirmation of an uncharacteristic point guard for the New Orleans Pelicans

Not to be chosen on his night Draft no longer has the burden of the past on nba. Now the teams are much more in terms of players, they have more opportunities to shine, both in the summer league and in G League. Nonetheless, Not all cases are the same And in a huge sport like this, physical differences tend to discriminate certain profiles. Joseph Alvarado represents a somewhat atypical profile in the American league.

with his own 1.83 height and only 81 kg weight, the player of Puerto Rican origin has achieved something unimaginable. In less than a season and a half in the NBA, he not only earned a spot on an aspiring team like New Orleans Pelicans, but has been dedicated as one of its key members in rotation. Alvarado’s style of play is what has put him in such an advantageous situation, given his physical disadvantage, even against opponents at the same position, the point guard responded with intelligence and insight. Observes and looks for the best way to solve problems and situations in the shortest possible time, making unrivaled use of its conditions and tools.

Last year Alvarado became famous and viral for waiting to catch the opposing team’s point guards off guard when the ball was picked up. The reason why the New Yorker earned its nickname Grand Theft Alvaradoa pun that referenced the well-known video game Rockstar.

But his relevance and value to the Pelicans goes further.

When it is necessary to defend incessantly, to pressure other managers, there he is. If the point is that it brings speed and quickness to the game, it does. And when he’s on, he’s as dangerous as anyone.

And that showed in the win against Denver Nuggets 121 to 106 where Alvarado was the man of the match. The Georgia Tech recruit had the best night of his entire career 38 points on 12 of 19 field goals (63.2%), including 8 of 11 3-pointers (72.7%) in less than 27 minutes of play.

subscribe to NBA League Pass to see all games: United States | The rest of the world

Those numbers have made him the Pelicans’ top-scoring member off the bench, surpassing him 37 by Marcus Thornton in February 2010. He also tied the second-highest mark in three-pointers in franchise history, coming within 2 of Peja Stojakovic’s record.

But implementation of Alvarado this season vbeyond this particular encounter. The point guard has established himself as an irreplaceable piece in Willie Green’s scheme.

Of the most used five-man lineups this season by the Pelicans, the one that has produced the best performance is Jose Alvarado (+15.5). Among those registering 4 members, too (+35.1); Among the three also (+37.7 and +28.9) and in the surprise pairs also (+24.8). And it’s that the player of Puerto Rican descent has the most positive on/off field differential of the entire team, with his +13.2 net score when he plays for just +2.0 when on the bench.

Jose Alvarado arrived as a unedited More on the New Orleans Pelicans in September 2021 and a year later he is an irreplaceable member of a team that is already third in the Western Conference.

The views expressed here do not necessarily represent those of the NBA or its organizations.