Former Laker Jordan Farmar is adjusting to life with the New Jersey Nets

Reporting from Newark, N.J.

Even his former Lakers teammates could sense a difference in Jordan Farmar.

They saw a Farmar more at peace with his lot in life, more under control in his play now that he’s with the New Jersey Nets.

“I can tell he’s matured,” Lamar Odom said after the Lakers defeated Farmar and the Nets, 99-92, Sunday at the Prudential Center. “He’s gotten better.”

Farmar spent the first four years of his NBA career with the Lakers. Sometimes it was smooth, sometimes it was uneven.

Farmar talked about how it has been a “growing process” during his short time in New Jersey.

“Life is good. I have a new baby girl,” Farmar said about his 5-month-old daughter, Phoenix. “She’s amazing. She keeps it rolling every day.

“And then I’m just coming in here every day, working, trying to get better, trying to help this organization grow. And me personally, being able to play basketball in a little different light … “

Farmar had eight points on three-for-nine shooting in 22 minutes 38 seconds in his first game against his former teammates.

He had sought a “juicier role” when he signed a three-year, $12-million contract with the Nets over the summer.

Farmar felt his point guard skills of directing an offense, being more up tempo and being in more pick-and-roll sets better suited him than the triangle offense.

“They asked me in my exit interview meeting how would I feel if I came back and my role stayed the same,” Farmar said. “I was like, ‘It would be bittersweet. I want to do more. I’m four years in the league and my role has been the same throughout the whole time.’ I wanted to kind of grow throughout my career and try to do a little bit more.”

The Lakers also had internal discussions about how Farmar would fit into what they were doing.

“We had to talk about it as an organization and try and figure out if this was going to be for the future or if he was going to be a backup guard for his career,” Lakers Coach Phil Jackson said. “He’s a small guard and we were looking for some bigger guards in the process.”

Farmar is averaging 10.3 points and 4.4 assists in nearly 26 minutes a game as the backup to Devin Harris.

Farmar will get his championship ring when the Nets visit the Lakers on Jan. 14.

“Those guys are family in there,” Farmar said of the Lakers. “We’ve been through wars together. I wish them nothing but the best — except for when we’re going head up against each other.”

broderick.turner@latimes.com

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