Kobe Bryant practices and is expected to play against Sacramento

The door to the Lakers practice opened Tuesday afternoon and there was Kobe Bryant on the court shooting with his teammates at the end of the session.

Bryant didn’t speak with the media, but Lakers Coach Phil Jackson said his star guard joined the team about “mid-practice” and will play in Wednesday night’s exhibition game against the Sacramento Kings in Las Vegas.

Bryant has been recovering from off-season surgery on his right knee.

He played in the Lakers’ two exhibition games last week in Europe, but it was clear to Jackson that Bryant’s knee needed to get stronger and that he needed to improve his conditioning.

Bryant didn’t practice last Saturday after the Lakers returned from overseas, and he didn’t practice Monday.

That Bryant was able to join his teammates Tuesday was a good sign, Jackson said.

“I think he looked OK, actually,” Jackson said. “He had a full workout and a shooting workout and a weight workout this morning before he stepped out on practice.

“So I think that tempered a little bit how he looked. He had gone through a full regimen before so … I thought he looked better than he has looked so far.”

Jackson said he expects to limit Bryant’s playing time against the Kings to eight-minute segments in each half, but that could change.

“If he feels up to it and he comes to me and talks to me about it, then I’ll see,” Jackson said.

Barnes and the triangle

Welcome to the club, Matt Barnes.

Over the years as the Lakers added new personnel, many newcomers have said how difficult it has been to learn the team’s triangle offense

Barnes, who signed a free-agent contract with the Lakers in the summer, has been having some tough times with the offense. Each day he has asked his coaches and his teammates questions about the nuances of the triangle offense.

“I may be a step behind as far as just knowing the offense,” Barnes said. “Just far as… knowing the right counter [move] to make when somebody goes to a spot.”

Barnes is playing on his eighth NBA team in eight years and said he has never encountered an offense like the triangle, or one as complicated.

“There’s no comparison. It’s very difficult,” Barnes said.

“I told someone this morning this is the most thinking I’ve had to do without playing. I kind of feel I’ve rolled by it sometimes because I really don’t want to do something wrong. That’s just going to come with time. That’s what practice is for.”

Etc.

Luke Walton, who injured his right hamstring just before the Lakers’ trip to Europe, again missed practice Tuesday but did participate in some shooting drills.

Jackson said that Walton is “still a couple days away” from practicing.

However, Walton’s recovery from the hamstring injury “is better than we thought” it would be, Jackson said.

broderick.turner@latimes.com

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