For Starters, Walton Could End Up as One

They were all glad to see Coach Phil Jackson back in the fold -- Devean George, Slava Medvedenko, even Brian Cook -- but the biggest beneficiary of the Jackson-Laker reunion might be Luke Walton.

A gifted passer, Walton was mainly passed up last season, his minutes and points barely increasing after a relatively intriguing rookie season. He has had a strong camp here, making outside shots and continuing to show touch with his passes, a combination that might make him one of Jackson’s five, along with Kobe Bryant, Kwame Brown, Lamar Odom and Chris Mihm.

“He a guy that’s a real key to our bench and, I don’t know, he may be a starter,” Jackson said coyly on Monday. “He just might be.”

Walton, who signed a two-year deal to stay with the Lakers after becoming a restricted free agent last summer, would play shooting guard, with Bryant moving to small forward, Odom running the point, Mihm playing center and Brown taking power forward.

Walton played a similar position toward the end of last season and improved his output, nearly gaining a triple-double with 10 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists in a late-season loss to the Sacramento Kings.

Overall, though, Walton’s production and playing time never took that extra step last season after he sprained an ankle in training camp. He averaged 3.2 points and 12.6 minutes in 61 games.

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Jackson deferred judgment when asked about the makeup of the Miami Heat, who added Jason Williams, Antoine Walker, Gary Payton and James Posey to complement Shaquille O’Neal.

“I really haven’t looked at their roster as a group and a whole and wondered how they’ll function,” Jackson said. “I suppose you’d have to see it function on the floor before you can make any judgments. They obviously feel like they really need three-point shooters to [gather] around Shaq and they’ve got that.”

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Rookie center Andrew Bynum will not play in exhibition games tonight or Wednesday against Golden State because of an abdominal strain. He will be reevaluated later this week.... Odom, who has eased into training camp after recovering from shoulder surgery, is expected to play tonight, Jackson said.... Tonight’s game will not be televised on Channel 9, which usually carries Laker road games, but is available as a free preview on NBA League Pass in households that have DirecTV, Dish Network and most cable systems affiliated with In Demand.