LOS ANGELES – When the Los Angeles Lakers traded Anthony Davis and Max Christie, it was assumed their defense would take a hit considering those two were among the team’s top defensive players. But in the immediate aftermath of the trade, the Lakers' defense has actually gotten better. Mike Budenholzer noticed it after the Lakers defeated the Phoenix Suns last Sunday, and following the team’s 120-108 win against the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday, Luka Doncic spoke about why the defense has been elite.“I think everybody’s connected on the defensive end,” Doncic said. “There’s a lot of talk, a lot of communication, and then on the effort side everybody’s doing a good job.”During the stretch following the immediate aftermath of the Luka Doncic trade, all the way up to Mar. 6, right before the Lakers’ recent road trip, they were the best team in the NBA in defensive efficiency, as per Dave McMenamin of ESPN.It’s been a collective effort for sure, but it’s hard not to notice the non-stop defensive motors of players like Jarred Vanderbilt and Jordan Goodwin. After the Lakers’ win against the Nuggets, head coach JJ Redick singled that duo out for helping set the tone defensively.Related Los Angeles Lakers NewsArticle continues below“I think defensively, outside of a couple of things. . .it was a great night. And Vando [Vanderbilt] and Goody [Goodwin] really led that for us,” Redick said. “You really felt them when they were in the game, and they were part of some big runs for us.”Coming into the Lakers’ game against the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday, they were third in the NBA in three-point defense, as per Fox Sports, as well as in the top half of the league in most defensive metrics.With the Lakers continuing to fight for positioning in the Western Conference standings, it’s their defense that definitely has opposing teams taking note.David Yapkowitz is a basketball journalist for ClutchPoints, writing news on the NBA, WNBA, and NCAA Basketball for both men and women. The Los Angeles native has bylines with Basketball Insiders, SB Nation, and The Next Hoops.