Jose Alvarado seemed amused at the thought. Now a backup guard with the New Orleans Pelicans, the former Georgia Tech star sat on a folding chair after a practice Saturday afternoon and considered a question.
The Pelicans had just finished a workout in the sparkling gym of the Overtime Elite basketball academy in Atlantic Station. They were in town to play the Hawks the following day.
With his energetic defensive play, Alvarado has earned a spot in the Pelicans rotation and is in the third year of a four-year deal worth $6.9 million, according to Spotrac. He has made it a long way from the player who received one ACC offer coming out of high school in New York to one whose coach, minutes earlier, spoke of his gratitude to have him on the roster.
The question was, if he could speak to the college freshman version of himself, what aspect of his life would that young man find most mind-blowing? The answer was succinct.
“Freshman Jose would never have thought he’d be in the situation he is right now,” Alvarado told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
The answer said a lot about Alvarado, and why he continues to scrap like a junkyard dog on a nightly basis, the same way he did for the Yellow Jackets 2017-21. That would include Sunday night at State Farm Arena, when he defended Hawks point guards the length of the floor, requiring Dejounte Murray and Trent Forrest to labor for each inch as he harassed them on the dribble.
You could describe Alvarado as having made it. The trappings of the NBA life — the adulation, the wealth, the five-star hotels on the road — pamper him daily. It would seem easy to come to regard it all as just due. But he tries to prevent that notion from entering his thinking.
“I’m always going to have that mindset, because this is not something that’s regular,” he said. “This is the 1%.”
He calls his life a dream. He and fiancée Flor Castillo have provided for their two young daughters (Nazanin and Brooklyn) a life that he did not have growing up in Brooklyn. He has a signature shoe with a Chinese brand, Peak. He bought a house in metro Atlanta, the first in his family to do so.
“Family reminds me sometimes you can get a big head,” he said. “You’ve got to understand the situation you’re in, just see how blessed you are.”
Sunday, he had about 20 family members and friends at the game. Alvarado met with them after the game, emerging from the locker room dressed in a white t-shirt and orange jogging pants. His braids dangled below his ski cap.
He posed for pictures, circulated and was engaged in the moment. When some of the younger ones wanted a photo with Pelicans star Zion Williamson, Alvarado made the request of his teammate and brought the group into the tunnel to meet him and took the photo himself. If Alvarado didn’t connect with everyone in the group, he came pretty close. He stayed until he had to leave with the team bus.
“He doesn’t forget where he’s come from,” said Lily Allison of Woodstock, the sister of Castillo. “We love that.”
Alvarado’s tale continues to be one of the most compelling success stories out of Tech’s athletic department in recent years. A three-star high-school prospect, Alvarado became a four-year starter for former coach Josh Pastner and a fan favorite for his energy and competitiveness. He was the heart of the Jackets’ 2021 ACC title. And now, against the odds, he’ll probably have a spot in the NBA for as long as he plays with the tenacity and energetic style that he has put on display for the past three seasons.
“I think he’s going to continue to be a key role player to winning teams,” Pelicans coach Willie Green told The AJC. “He has all the winning qualities that the best teams want. He’s tough, mentally tough, high character. Every time he steps on the floor, he gives it 110%.”
I asked an NBA scout how many guards defend the ball the way he does as well as he does.
The texted reply: “Not many.”
Through Sunday’s game — a 116-103 win over the Hawks — Alvarado was averaging 7.0 points, 2.2 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.1 steals in 17.2 minutes per game. He pulled off his signature move against the Hawks, pickpocketing Murray in the backcourt in the fourth quarter.
As the Pelicans scored in transition, Alvarado knelt at the corner of the floor in front of the New Orleans bench, his black uniform camouflaged against the black floor and his teammates. As the unsuspecting Murray dribbled upcourt, Alvarado ambushed him from behind, poking the ball away and passing to teammate Naji Marshall for a score.
“(Murray) told me, ‘You got me,’” said Alvarado, adding Murray to a long list of “Grand Theft Alvarado” victims that in December brought on LeBron James (the GTA nickname was coined by Tech voice Andy Demetra).
He is a contributing member of a team that is in the NBA’s top third. He is a highly regarded teammate. He counts among his fans Hawks great Dominique Wilkins. “He just brings energy, and I love guys like that,” said Wilkins, who has followed Alvarado since his days at Tech and shared a conversation with him before Sunday’s game.
Alvarado holds higher aspirations than his present station. Beyond improving his game, he wants to someday be in the conversation for Sixth Man of the Year. He would probably need to at least double his scoring and earn significantly more minutes, but there’s not much logic in doubting him at this point.
“I think it’s possible,” he said. “I’ve just got to keep getting better, learn from the greats and just keep winning and trying to learn from the game.”
A most unlikely story continues to be told.
Credit: Ken Sugiura
Credit: Ken Sugiura
Credit: Ken Sugiura
Credit: Ken Sugiura
Credit: Ken Sugiura
Credit: Ken Sugiura
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