Jose Alvarados 38-point explosion lifts Pelicans: Yes, he can shoot

May 2024 · 8 minute read

NEW ORLEANS — “Yes, I can shoot!”

Those infamous words introduced Jose Alvarado to the NBA world after a viral video showed him speaking to Minnesota guard D’Angelo Russell during a game last season.

This exchange between D'Angelo Russell and Jose Alvarado 😂😂😂

"Can he shoot?"

"Yes, I can shoot"pic.twitter.com/nU1pWtr8gP

— Pickswise (@Pickswise) February 5, 2022

In the clip, Russell got caught asking his coaches if he should defend Alvarado at the 3-point line because he didn’t know much about the undrafted rookie’s game. Very few people outside the Pelicans organization did at the time.

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Alvarado’s vociferous response was a perfect encapsulation of the many traits that make him who he is: Brash confidence. Infectious energy. Unafraid to be vocal. Constantly seeking respect.

A year later, Alvarado doesn’t have to seek respect anymore. It’s given to him in droves every time he checks into games at Smoothie King Center.

But his game — and his jump shot — went to another level Sunday as he exploded for a career-high 38 points and eight 3-pointers in a 121-106 win over the Denver Nuggets.

It was the most points scored by an undrafted rookie in franchise history and the most points ever scored by a bench player in franchise history.

Before Sunday, Alvarado had never scored more than 23 points in an NBA regular-season game. He never scored more than 29 in his four seasons at Georgia Tech.

When asked after the game, he couldn’t remember the last time he got that hot in a game. And it didn’t matter. This was the memory he knew would stick with him for a lifetime.

“My mindset was just, ‘Let’s win this game.’ Not necessarily, like, I’m going to come in and shoot. But I’m always in the mindset that when I’m open, knock this down. Don’t let them leave you open,” Alvarado said. “I just want to keep improving my game. I want to expand it, not just the jump shot. Just make the right play at all times.”

Since he joined the Pelicans on a two-way contract in the summer of 2021, Alvarado has always been the first player out of the locker room after halftime to get shots up. He’s such a constant ball of energy it’s hard to keep him contained in one room for too long.

In his first few months with the Pelicans, his presence would mostly go unnoticed as he hoisted up 3-pointers on the court alone.

Now, it’s hard for him to step anywhere near the Pelicans’ home floor without hearing fans chant his name or profess how meaningful his connection is with the city of New Orleans.

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Almost overnight, he transformed from a relative unknown to a cult hero to a crucial piece on one of the NBA’s deepest bench units.

Knowing how far he’s come over the past year, it was no surprise to see Alvarado come into Sunday’s game and make an immediate impact. It’s been his signature all season.

After entering the game with three minutes left in the first quarter, Alvarado knocked down his first three shots — two 3-pointers and a floater off the glass — en route to helping New Orleans chop an 11-point deficit down to four by the end of the period.

He started the second quarter with an assist on a Devonte’ Graham 3-pointer and two more 3s of his own to give New Orleans the lead. After that second 3, Alvarado knew this might be a special night.

He drained his first six shots of the game before going into halftime with a team-high 19 points. By then he had already passed his previous career high with five 3-pointers, which matched the number of 3s Denver had as a team going into the half.

For most bench players, it’s hard to maintain a hot streak like that coming out of the half because they have to wait before they can get back into the game. Alvarado didn’t check in until there were 46 seconds left in the third quarter.

It didn’t matter.

He drained his first 3 to start the fourth quarter and got fouled shooting another one on the next possession. That’s when the crowd felt that something special was starting to brew for the second-year guard.

After Denver cut the New Orleans lead down to single digits, Alvarado answered with a driving floater on the baseline and his seventh 3-pointer of the night on back-to-back possessions to seize control of the game once again.

He scored 19 points in the final period to put away one of the top teams in the Western Conference and seal one of the most electric home games the Pelicans have played all season.

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Despite being known for his pesky defense and sneaky backcourt steals, by season’s end, this will likely go down as the game that signifies just how essential he is to this team’s success.

“I tell him all the time,’ Jose, be yourself. When you be yourself, you are our X-factor. You bring energy. When we need runs, you’re there for us,'” said Zion Williamson. “I tell him all the time, even since last year, ‘Hey man, you’re the X-factor. Just be yourself.'”

If it was up to Alvarado, there is nowhere he’d rather have the most memorable game of his life than at home in New Orleans.

Since his emergence last season, Alvarado has become one of the most beloved members of the franchise due to his passionate playing style and genuine nature away from the court.

New Orleans has seen its fair share of star players come through the franchise — including Chris Paul, Anthony Davis, Brandon Ingram and Zion — but there’s never been anyone who’s captured the love of the city without being an All-Star talent quite like Alvarado.

Even though he’s a native New Yorker, Alvarado has felt a special bond with his new second home because native New Orleanians often carry a chip on their shoulder similar to the one that’s helped him make it to the NBA.

Pelicans fans were chanting Alvarado’s name during playoff games last year against the Suns even before he scored his first points. He gets a roar from the crowd almost every time he checks into the game.

The infatuation New Orleans has developed for this team isn’t just because of the talent throughout the roster or the wins they’ve been putting up on the board. It’s because they’ve finally started to find players like Alvarado capable of connecting with the city on a much deeper level than just basketball.

Jose Alvarado checks out after his career night.

38 points, 12-19 from the field, 8-11 on 3s. pic.twitter.com/8Ffpq9XFkx

— Will Guillory (@WillGuillory) December 4, 2022

“It’s amazing. It can never get old. It’s my second year, and every time they scream ‘Jose’ or do the chant or show me so much love, it keeps giving me goosebumps. It makes me want to keep playing as hard as I can,” Alvarado said. “The city makes us go. That’s why our team is special, because of them. We need them to win games.”

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Williamson said New Orleans has embraced Alvarado so much because he embodies the classic underdog story, a role Pelicans fans know all too well.

“In this world, as humans, we love an underdog story. That’s the nature of the game. People love underdog stories,” he said. “To see someone like Jose, not the tallest guy out there, doesn’t have a lot of the physical attributes that a prototypical NBA player would have. But he’s out there. He’s not just out there, he’s making an impact. He’s the X-factor for us. When people see that and he’s telling them to stand up and get hyped, it’s infectious energy. You can’t help but want to be a part of that.”

Alvarado has helped the Pelicans move up to second in the Western Conference despite a litany of injuries throughout the first 23 games of the season.

The depth of this team is unlike anything the franchise has experienced before. They’ve won nine of the last 11 games despite Ingram missing four of those games and Williamson missing three. CJ McCollum also missed four games due to COVID-19 protocols and scored 12 points in the last two games combined as he works to get himself back physically.

None of it has fazed this group because there are so many playmakers on the bench ready to step in when the opportunity presents itself.

This is the same team that went 7-20 in the 27 games Ingram missed last season. They’re 6-2 without their top wing scorer this year.

Being able to establish a style of play and a standard for excellence no matter who may be in or out of the lineup is an easy way to separate the good teams from the great ones. The Pelicans were able to steamroll the Nuggets on Sunday despite not having Ingram or starting shooting guard Herb Jones.

The Pelicans appear to be on the verge of building something special, and Alvarado has proven to be a massive part of that. But the way they’ve been able to cultivate talent throughout the roster — whether they’re first-round picks or undrafted free agents — has been remarkable.

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“It’s a luxury to have depth and to have guys (that) put the work in. Their preparation is off the charts,” said head coach Willie Green. “It’s a joy to watch.”

(Photo of Pelicans guard Jose Alvarado, right, celebrating a 3-point basket: Matthew Hinton / Associated Press)

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