New York Knicks guard Jose Alvarado is going to be spending time with his new teammates over the All-Star break.
Jose Alvarado joined the New York Knicks at the NBA trade deadline, as he was acquired from the New Orleans Pelicans.
The Knicks gave up Dalen Terry and two future second-round picks for the fifth-year guard.
In three games with the Knicks, Alvardo is averaging 14 points, 2.0 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 2.3 steals.
Alvarado has had limited time with his new teammates due to the condensed schedule between the trade deadline and the All-Star break, but Alvarado plans to spend time with his new team during the upcoming break.
"No break for me I’m going to try to stay here, get a lot of reps in. Just get comfortable with everything - offense, defense. Just get a good rhythm," Alvarado told Ian Begley of SNY TV.
How Is Jose Fitting In?
The Knicks are 2-1 since Alvarado joined the team, with their only loss coming to the Indiana Pacers, 137-134 in overtime.
With Alvarado on the floor, the Knicks have an offensive rating of 127 and a defensive rating of 107.8, good enough for a +19.2 net rating.
Their offensive rating falls to 121.2 while their defensive rating rises to 114.7 with him off the court. Still a positive differential, but they have a +12.7 net rating with him on the court compared to off.
The duo of Alvarado and Josh Hart has been especially terrorizing to opposing lineups. When those two are on the floor together, the Knicks have a +26.8 net rating, which includes a 101.6 defensive rating in 33 minutes.
Alvarado has also found plenty of success with other key members of the Knicks including Jalen Brunson (+25.4 net rating in 23 minutes), Mitchell Robinson (+36.8 net rating in 18 minutes), and Karl-Anthony Towns (+29.1 net rating in 26 minutes)
Room For Improvement
It's a small sample size for Alvarado on the Knicks, being that he's only played three games, but he's proven to be an impactful player even on the worst teams.
The Pelicans were a better team with Alvarado on the floor than off, especially on the defensive end.
The improvement may not necessarily come from Alvarado's individual game as he's done everything fans should expect from him, but it could come from the Knicks getting healthy.
OG Anunoby has yet to suit up alongside Alvarado, which could give the Knicks a terrorsome trio with OG, Alvarado, and Hart. Of the five starters, only Towns has a higher net rating than Anunoby when he's on the floor.
Anunoby is listed as being day-to-day, but it is unknown when he will return to the lineup.