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The Los Angeles Lakers got an important win on Monday night against the Utah Jazz. After three consecutive losses, including a massive blowout against the Denver Nuggets, the Lakers had a much better performance, especially on the defensive end of the court.

The Lakers were solid on the court, and this was a much-improved performance. This game came after LeBron James apologized to the Lakers fanbase for their poor showing against the Denver Nuggets, and vowed to do better. In fact, this apology came just 165 days after LeBron confidently told fans and haters to keep that same energy with the Lakers roster through the course of the season.

But Stephen A. Smith still thinks that the Los Angeles Lakers will be making some changes. On his show, Stephen A. spoke about how much better the Lakers were. But there need to be changes made to the roster, and those changes will come before the trade deadline, and will be 'bigger and louder than Russell Westbrook's dunk'. 

“Seeing the Lakers step up and knock off a good Jazz two nights after getting blown out by the Denver Nuggets was a step in the right direction. But it ain't enough. Because this has happened all season long with the Lakers. Good games follow bad games follow mediocre games. Lack of effort, no consistency to be found. It’s why they are a .500 team over halfway through the season. One day, one play doesn’t resolve any of that. Change has to come to this Lakers team and change will come before the deadline. Trust me on that. It’s going to be even bigger and louder than Westbrook’s dunk.”

Recently, it was reported that the Los Angeles Lakers have no plans to replace Frank Vogel. So perhaps those changes will not come on the coaching end but will be on the trade front. But the question remains; who could the Lakers possibly trade and get a good piece in return?

Clearly, there have to be some roster adjustments. Former NBA player JJ Redick spoke recently about how the Lakers are a poorly constructed team. And if they want to meet their ambition of winning the NBA championship, they will have to make some adjustments.

This article first appeared on Fadeaway World and was syndicated with permission.

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