The shot has been tipped in, the countdown has finished, and the confetti has flown — the New York Knicks are NBA champions for the first time in 53 years.
While this one could ostensibly last a lifetime, the Knicks certainly hope that’s not the case. Repeating will require a look at the past, present, and future, including a deeper look at this legendary championship trek.
With that in mind, Knicks X-Factor looks back on the season that was, on a case-by-case basis, going player-by-player down the path ahead (in alphabetical order). We tip this study off with Jose Alvarado…
- Name: Jose Alvarado
- Season: 5th season (1st with Knicks)
- Key Stats: 6.6 points, 3.8 assists, 12 net rating
How it started
The Brooklyn native Alvarado had already established himself as a defensive pest after arriving as an undrafted free agent out of Georgia Tech in 2021, enough to generate a lasting career in the NBA, namely with the New Orleans Pelicans.
He made his largest impact as a defender, earning the popular nickname of “Grand Theft Alvarado” for his stealthy defensive work that would target otherwise casual inbound walk-ups.
Before he phoned home (or the other way around, in this case), Alvarado was one of the few sources of hardwood sanity in the Big Easy.
While the attention rightfully centered on the team’s frightening lack of stability in the Zion Williamson era, Alvarado quietly put up a career-best season amidst injury woes for Dejounte Murray. But he also became relatively redundant when the birds bagged Jordan Poole in free agency, and Jeremiah Fears in the NBA draft.
An alum of Queens’ Christ the King High School (notably for producing other metropolitan hardwood savants like Tina Charles and Jayson Williams), Alvarado lingered on the Knicks’ radar for a while. Little more needs to be said about the way the Knicks solved their long-standing Jalen Brunson problem, but finding a first mate at the one proved to be difficult.
After all, the Knicks are being patient with Tyler Kolek, and a hodgepodge of veterans (Alec Burks, Cameron Payne, Delon Wright) filled the role after Miles McBride warranted a larger role.
How it went
New Orleans’ early meandering Alvarado came home as the Knicks’ headlining acquisition of the 2026 trade deadline. New York essentially gave up on its disappointing offseason centerpiece from abroad, Guerschon Yabusele, to obtain Alvarado’s services, ending Dalen Terry’s Knicks career before it ever began.
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