{"id":166398,"date":"2025-11-11T06:08:11","date_gmt":"2025-11-11T11:08:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=166398"},"modified":"2025-11-11T08:56:35","modified_gmt":"2025-11-11T13:56:35","slug":"lakers-predicted-to-turn-nothing-into-fiba-mvp","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/11\/11\/lakers-predicted-to-turn-nothing-into-fiba-mvp\/","title":{"rendered":"Lakers Predicted to Turn Nothing Into FIBA MVP"},"content":{"rendered":"

LOS ANGELES \u2014 The Los Angeles Lakers<\/a> have stumbled into an unexpected opportunity. When news broke about LeBron James<\/a>\u2019 sciatica, it seemed like disaster. Instead, the team has thrived. Sitting fourth in the West with an 8-3 record, the Lakers have shown grit. But if they want to sustain this run, they can\u2019t afford to stand still. And that\u2019s why Jose Alvarado\u2019s<\/a> fit on the Lakers becomes more than wishful thinking\u2014it makes perfect sense.<\/p>\n

Lakers Predicted to Turn Nothing Into FIBA MVP<\/h2>\n

The Lakers Are Winning, But Barely<\/h3>\n
\"The
Nov 10, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker (1) moves the ball against New Orleans Pelicans guard Jose Alvarado (15) in the second half at the Mortgage Matchup Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Injuries have hit hard. LeBron remains out. Luka Don\u010di\u0107<\/a>, Austin Reaves<\/a>, Marcus Smart<\/a>, Gabe Vincent<\/a>, and Maxi Kleber<\/a> have all missed time. The Lakers have held firm, but the margin for error is thin. Their +1.0<\/a> net rating suggests that they\u2019re skating on the edge.<\/p>\n

The bench has been particularly lifeless. Depth is separating contenders like Oklahoma City from the rest. The Thunder\u2019s<\/a> 11th man, Ajay Mitchell<\/a>, is averaging 17 points a night. That\u2019s the kind of luxury the Lakers don\u2019t have. To fix that, they must find energy, defense, and production from somewhere new. That\u2019s exactly the kind of impact Jose Alvarado could bring to the Lakers.<\/p>\n

Why Alvarado Fits the Lakers\u2019 DNA<\/h3>\n

Alvarado has built a reputation as one of the NBA\u2019s most disruptive defenders. Listed at just 6 feet, he compensates with relentlessness and cunning. His sneaky full-court steals have become his trademark, but they barely scratch the surface of his value.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a reason he earned<\/a> MVP honors at the Olympic Qualifying Tournament in San Juan\u2014his impact translates everywhere. Puerto Rico clinched a Paris Olympics berth because of him. The Pelicans<\/a>, meanwhile, are 2-0 in games where he\u2019s played over 20 minutes. It\u2019s simple math: more Alvarado equals more winning.<\/p>\n

Per 36 minutes, he\u2019s averaging 13.6 points, 5.5 rebounds, 4.8 assists, and 1.8 steals. He disrupts offenses, speeds up pace, and brings energy that changes games.<\/p>\n

A Trade That Makes Too Much Sense<\/h3>\n

The Lakers are last<\/a> in bench points and bottom-10 in three-point shooting. Alvarado fixes both. Once considered a non-shooter, he\u2019s now hitting 48.1% from deep on 3.4 attempts per game. Combine that with his defensive pressure, and he\u2019s the prototype of what the Lakers need off the bench.<\/p>\n

He\u2019d fit perfectly as Smart\u2019s defensive understudy, helping the Lakers preserve Smart\u2019s body for the postseason. More importantly, Alvarado\u2019s contract\u2014just $4.5 million\u2014makes a deal painless. Packaging sophomore Dalton Knecht<\/a>, who\u2019s barely contributing, would make it work financially. The Lakers would be turning nothing into something\u2014a rotational two-way guard who already has FIBA MVP credentials.<\/p>\n

The Right Move at the Right Time<\/h3>\n

The Lakers are in the best-case scenario for a team missing its superstar. But holding steady isn\u2019t enough in a stacked Western Conference. They need reinforcements who bring energy, defense, and shooting.<\/p>\n

A move by the Lakers for\u00a0Jose Alvarado would be exactly that. It\u2019s low-cost, high-impact, and solves multiple problems at once. As the season grinds on, the Lakers\u2019 front office must act decisively. The window is open\u2014but not for long.<\/p>\n

Credit: William Liang-Imagn Images<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

LOS ANGELES \u2014 The Los Angeles Lakers have stumbled into an unexpected opportunity. When news broke about LeBron James\u2019 sciatica, it seemed like disaster. Instead, the team has thrived. Sitting fourth in the West with an 8-3 record, the Lakers have shown grit. But if they want to sustain this run, they can\u2019t afford to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5018,"featured_media":166413,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[62,1608,26,3,4721],"tags":[50244,3854],"class_list":["post-166398","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nba","category-basketball","category-lakers","category-news","category-trade-rumors","tag-2025-26-nba-season","tag-jose-alvarado"],"modified_by":"Frederick Okocha","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/166398","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5018"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=166398"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/166398\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":166414,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/166398\/revisions\/166414"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/166413"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=166398"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=166398"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=166398"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}