New Orleans Pelicans guard Jose Alvarado gained notoriety during his rookie season for intense defense and energy that gave his team a significant lift. Beyond that, Alvarado quickly became known for his “sneak attacks” in the backcourt, in which he would intentionally blend into the sideline, only to pounce on an unsuspecting ball-handler to create havoc. On Monday evening, Alvarado took his show on the road to Atlanta to visit TNT’s Inside The NBA set, and his television appearance came in on-brand fashion.
"Grand theft Alvarado!"@AlvaradoJose15 got the steal on @TheJetOnTNT in Studio J 🤣 pic.twitter.com/potDB1PTvC
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) May 10, 2022
This is a great bit from all parties involved, as Alvarado “ruins” Kenny Smith’s trademark run to the monitor wall with a steal in the process. Alvarado, who played collegiately just down the street from the Turner studios at Georgia Tech, played his part well, and that lent a bit of additional levity to the halftime analysis during Game 4 of Bucks-Celtics on Monday.
As for Alvarado, the 24-year-old really left a mark for the Pelicans this season, joining forces with fellow rookie Herb Jones to boost New Orleans on the defensive end. It will be interesting to see what he can do next season in follow-up, but the undrafted guard is already garnering prime time attention on the most prominent studio show in sports.
