There are plenty of areas the Los Angeles Lakers have to improve on if they are to become a serious title contender, which is unlikely to happen this year. But if there’s one thing where the team has been significantly better today than in last season, it’s their defense.

Perhaps lost in the middle of all these discussions about Lonzo Ball and the surprising play of Kyle Kuzma is the Lakers’ marked improvement defensively. That was once again on display Wednesday, when the Lakers flashed their fang on defense, albeit late in the game, allowing the Chicago Bulls to only score 38 points in the second half of a 103-94 home victory.

Lakers big man Julius Randle knows his team has tightened up their ways on defense, telling that to reporters, including Ryan Ward of ClutchPoints, after the Bulls game.

The Lakers were among the worst defensive teams last season when they surrendered 110.3 points per 100 possessions. So far this year, that’s down to 100.2 points allowed per 100 possessions – good for fourth best in the league today.

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Julius Randle noted that changes on the Lakers’ roster have made the team more adaptable to various offensive setups opponents are throwing at them. The additions of Brook Lopez and Andrew Bogut, for example, have clearly made an impact on their defense, particularly around the rim.

The Lakers didn’t have a reliable rim protector last season, but they now have two in Lopez and Bogut, who are averaging 1.8 blocks and 0.8 blocks per game, respectively. Lonzo Ball’s entry to the team is also helping the Lakers limit opponents from easily waltzing into the paint for points. Ball is second to Lopez on the team with 0.9 blocks per contest. As a group, the Lakers went from averaging 3.9 blocks per game last season to 6.1 this campaign.

The Lakers are just 8-10 in their first 18 games this season, but at least they’re doing one thing right.