Although it is just NBA preseason, the New Orleans Pelicans have yet to win a game and are struggling to find their offensive rhythm. Brandon Ingram was asked what the biggest hindrance has been to them reaching the level they need to ahead of the 2023-24 campaign. One of his teammates stepped up instead and gave a blunt, NSFW answer.

“Tell them we got to get our s**t together,” Jose Alvarado joked Monday afternoon after interrupting the interview. “But don't worry.” A simple response to a complicated issue, but one that packed plenty of entertainment in it.

Alvarado has quickly become a valued member of the Pelicans' rotation, averaging nine points and three assists in 21.5 minutes per game lasts season. It's his high-motor, however, that has most impressed coaches and fans. What the undrafted point guard lacks in talent and size, he makes up for with endless grit. Those type of intangibles are invaluable, especially to a franchise that is forced to constantly employ a next-man-up philosophy.

Injuries ravaged New Orleans and ultimately ruined what started out as a landmark campaign. The team was in first place in the Western Conference standings before Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram both proceeded to miss huge chunks of the season. The Pelicans were still able to back into the NBA Play-In Tournament but were ousted by the upstart Oklahoma City Thunder.

It is essential to have a strong voice in the locker room who can keep morale high, but this squad will truly need to live by Jose Alvarado's words and get up to speed quickly. New Orleans has one preseason game left before opening up its regular season with a road matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday, Oct. 25.