Jose Alvarado On His Mindset During Career-High 38 Points Outing: ‘Let’s Win This Game’

“Jose! Jose! Jose! Jose! “ 

The New Orleans crowd chanted Jose Alvarado’s name as the game clock wound down to its waning seconds to finish the Pelicans’ 121-106 victory over the Denver Nuggets. Despite a big performance from Zion Williamson, Alvarado was the hero today, with a career-high 38 points off the bench, in only 26 minutes.

Alvarado was on fire. He hit eight three-pointers on 72.7 percent shooting from distance and 63.2 percent from the field. The crowd serenaded him as the Pelicans’ won their fourth consecutive game. They’re 8-2 in their last ten games. 

Before Sunday, Alvarado’s NBA career high was 23 points, and he had never scratched 30 points during his four-year tenure at Georgia Tech. None of that mattered at the end of the night, though. 

“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 via The Athletic. “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.”

Before the season started, SLAM chopped it up with Alvarado about his mindset and where he wanted to take his game next. Alvarado said he was intent on expanding his offensive game while continuing to do all of the little things that earned him his rotation opportunity as an undrafted rookie in the first place. 

“Do something that makes you impact the day. Not just the game but the day,” Alvarado told SLAM of his mindset prior to the season. 

Alvarado isn’t just impacting games or single plays anymore; he’s affecting wins. The Pelicans are in second place in the Western Conference following this recent surge. 

“I always have believed in myself, obviously, but for me to do what I did made me feel so much excitement and belief,” Alvarado told SLAM. “It was like, Alright Jose, this ain’t no more if or what. This is you now. This is what it is now. It taught me that if I be me, everything else will take [care] of itself.”

I’d call 38 points and the dub; everything is taking care of itself.