Jose

Alvarado

Alvarado has been on of the Pelicans’ most consistent players as of late, and his absence will leave a glaring hole at point guard. Brandon Ingram is most likely to take over as the team’s primary ball handler and initiator. Brandon Boston Jr. will get some opportunities as well.

Two nights removed from scoring a season-high 27 points, Alvarado pumped in 20 more in Friday’s defeat. The rebounds, assists, steals, and 3-pointers were solid, and “Grand Theft Alvarado” shot the ball relatively well. Like Brandon Boston Jr., Alvarado must be rostered until some of the Pelicans’ key perimeter players are healthy enough to return.

Alvarado’s 27 points were a season-high. He was on fire from behind the 3-point line making all seven of his attempts from downtown. Alvarado isn’t going to have games like this consistently, but he’s going to produce solid numbers for the Pelicans with CJ McCollum and Dejonte Murray out. He should be rostered in all formats. The Pelicans have just one more game this week against the Magic on Friday.

While Alvarado’s injury did not force him to miss time, Hawkins sat out Monday’s loss to Portland. His return means Brandon Boston Jr. returns to the bench, which limits his fantasy value considerably. Brandon Ingram, Zion Williamson, and Yves Missi complete the Pelicans’ starting five.

Alvarado has worked well as New Orleans’ fill-in starting point guard. His shooting percentages have dipped in recent outings but his assist and rebounding production has been solid alongside his defensive stats. There are no other clear point guards, so Brandon Ingram could need to be more ball dominant on Wednesday.

Alvarado didn’t shoot the ball well on Monday, but that was the only negative in his fourth start. The 18 points were a season-high, and “Grand Theft Alvarado” has dished out six or more assists in three straight. With Dejounte Murray and CJ McCollum sidelined for a few more weeks, now is an excellent time to add Alvarado if he’s sitting on your league’s waiver wire. Even with the Pelicans being one of the few teams playing three games in Week 3.

The injuries continue to pile up for New Orleans as McCollum and Jones will join Dejounte Murray on the sidelines for the foreseeable future. Jose Alvarado and Jordan Hawkins will continue to see big minutes, while Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson should be focal points of the Pelicans’ offense.

In addition to Dejounte Murray, the Pelicans are without CJ McCollum and Herb Jones for their second game against the Warriors in as many nights. As a result, Alvarado and Hawkins move into the starting lineup. They’re both worth the streaming risk given how shorthanded New Orleans is on the perimeter.

Murray’s debut for New Orleans ended in terrible fashion, and he’ll be on the sidelines until the end of November at the earliest. While he’s sidelined, CJ McCollum could take over as the team’s starting PG, which means Jordan Hawkins could move into the first unit alongside McCollum, Brandon Ingram, Zion Williamson and Herb Jones. Jose Alvarado should see more run off the bench, and Trey Murphy III (hamstring) could be more involved once he’s back on the court.

Both point guards will be available for this game, with Murray making his regular season debut for the team. With Zion Williamson and Trey Murphy sidelined, Dejounte will have the ball in his hands a lot, while Alvarado will be a decent source of assists and steals off the bench.