There’s an intangible part of Jose Alvarado’s game that could be crucial for the Knicks.
Plenty of what he brings can be measured and was needed when the Knicks acquired him just ahead of the trade deadline: on-ball defense and the ability to force turnovers; orchestrating the offense as a ball handler; speed to get them going in transition.
Perhaps just as — or even more — important are traits that can’t be measured.
His energy.
His personality.
His ability to lift up teammates.
“Absolutely, it helps the team no matter what,” Jalen Brunson said after practice Thursday. “You kind of wish he was on the court because he’s a little bit quieter than on the bench. He does so much for this team on and off the court. It’s constant energy. Kind of regardless of how he’s playing, he always has the energy. That’s a skill, that’s a skill that makes someone last in the league a long time. It’s great to have him.”
Brunson, who was out for the Knicks’ win over the Pacers on Tuesday, got an up-close look at it, sitting next to Alvarado on the bench and seeing how vocal he was.
“Just be myself at all times, no matter what. But JB don’t shut up, neither,” Alvarado joked, “so I don’t know why he said that.”
Alvarado’s mindset around that aspect of himself has changed.
Now, he believes he wouldn’t be where he is without it.
You don’t usually hear someone’s energy be described as a “skill” that someone masters, but that’s what Brunson labeled it for Alvarado.
“I didn’t think that growing up, but as I got closer, into college and going into my NBA career, it’s definitely — it keeps me in the NBA,” Alvarado said. “That’s one of the reasons I got to the NBA, and it separates me from being just in the NBA, if that makes sense. I just figured out that’s what God blessed me with, and I’ve just got to do it at a high level.”
Importantly, Alvarado’s energy has stayed consistent through some ups and downs early in his Knicks tenure.
He got off to a strong start, particularly with a 26-point eruption during a rout of the 76ers right before the All-Star break.
It’s easy to be a great teammate and energetic and vocal when you’re playing well, though.
Then Alvarado struggled when the calendar flipped to March.
He went the first nine games of the month without hitting a 3-pointer, missing all 11 he took.
There were moments when coach Mike Brown turned to Tyler Kolek and Jordan Clarkson in place of Alvarado, searching for an offensive spark.
Alvarado even told The Post that “I f–king suck” during that stretch.
Regardless, though, Alvarado didn’t let it affect that energy.
He was the same when he was struggling as he was when he bounced back with 16 points and two steals in a blowout win over the Pacers on Tuesday.
It’s added an element to the Knicks they didn’t really have.
They don’t have many rah-rah, high-energy personalities outside of Josh Hart.
“Jose has been fantastic for us,” Brown said. “The time that he’s been here, he’s given us a lift energy-wise. And he’s a veteran. He knows the league, the league knows him. And he has a respect level for what he’s accomplished already that’s helped us tremendously.”
If energy truly is a skill, it’s one Alvarado has perfected.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
