Jose Alvarado’s Knicks debut didn’t take place at Madison Square Garden, instead coming on the road in Boston, but the New York City native said wearing his hometown team’s jersey felt inevitable, per Steve Popper of Newsday.
“This is a blessing,” Alvarado said. “I’m from here. My family never left the city. To be in that atmosphere, I mean, they’ve been Knicks fans since before me. To be with a team that’s trying to contend for something and me be a part of it is pretty special. … To be part of the city, it’s just a surreal feeling.”
Acquired from New Orleans in a trade on Thursday, Alvarado logged 25 minutes in his first game with New York on Sunday, contributing to a 111-89 victory over Boston.
Alvarado’s arrival immediately altered the Knicks’ guard rotation, as he moved ahead of Jordan Clarkson despite Miles McBride remaining sidelined following sports hernia surgery.
Clarkson saw only eight minutes of action, continuing a recent trend that has included four DNP-CDs over the past couple of weeks. The veteran acknowledged the adjustment of adapting to a reduced and less predictable role.
“Offensively and defensively,” the player told Stefan Bondy of The New York Post.
“They’re asking me to do things defensively as well. And then offensively, I got to figure it out and make stuff out of what comes in the offense in terms of opportunities. It’s not like I’m featured in the offense or anything. I’m playing hard, I’m crashing the glass, figuring out different things – little things to be effective on that end. So it’s a whole new thing for me. But I’ll continue to be a pro and stay in the gym and working on my craft and keep it going.”
Atlantic Notes: Alvarado, Clarkson, Celtics, Nets, Barnes https://t.co/Xr09mRaypV
— Hoops Rumors (@HoopsRumors) February 9, 2026
