The Los Angeles Lakers have gotten off to a tremendous start this season, coming out of the gates with a 7-2 record.

Luka Doncic is putting up historical numbers, averaging 38.5 points, 8.1 rebounds, and eight assists on 49% shooting from the field, 43% from three, and 89% from the line.

They have the second best offense in the league with a 121.9 offensive rating, and the 18th best defense with a 114 defensive rating.

Despite their hot start, new Lakers big man Walker Kessler still sees room for improvement.

“We have to clean up some stuff on the defensive end,” Kessler said after the Lakers defeated the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday.

He said that their half-court defense has been good once they get set, but they need to do better in transition as a team.

Kessler was the big addition for the Lakers this offseason as the team traded unprotected first-round picks in 2031 and 2033, plus first-round pick swaps in 2028 and 2030 to the Utah Jazz to acquire the restricted free agent. Kessler signed a four-year, $130 million deal with the Lakers as part of the sign-and-trade.

In giving up those assets and spending that money, the Lakers made it clear that expectations were high for Kessler to be the missing piece alongside Luka and Austin Reaves, who re-signed with the team in the offseason on a four-year, $180 million deal.

Kessler has delivered, averaging 14.4 points and 10.2 rebounds while shooting 71% from the field. He knows his job, and he does it well.

Kessler noted that the transition defense needs to be cleaned up, but that the half-court defense has been strong. His rim protection is a big reason why.

The team has a 112.6 defensive rating when he’s on the floor compared to a 117 defensive rating when he sits. He is third in the league in total blocks behind Victor Wembanyama and Myles Turner, the latter of whom surprised him when it was mentioned that he trailed Turner in total blocks.

The Lakers have the eighth-best half-court defense at 91.3 points per 100 possessions, and allow the seventh-fewest points per 100 transition possessions at 113.2. They do give up far too many transition possessions, ranking sixth in that category.

The Lakers have faced some of the top offenses like the Portland Trail Blazers (first in offensive rating) and Golden State Warriors (fourth in offensive rating), but they’ve also faced some of the worst like the Utah Jazz (29th), Los Angeles Clippers (24th), and Sacramento Kings (26th).

They gave up 136 points to the Blazers, their next opponent, when the two teams met on October 27.