Jackson likes the unknown

Phil Jackson is used to knowing what cards he holds at this point in the season.

Typically, he’s had veteran teams that required a few tweaks here and there, an outside shooter or another big body, needs that were sometimes met before the trade deadline.

Then there’s this season, in which the Lakers keep winning and Jackson keeps grinning, even though he has no idea what lies ahead for them.

“We don’t know what we have,” he said, pointing to an ever-shifting lineup because of injuries and youth.

Lamar Odom remains sidelined because of a sprained knee ligament. Kobe Bryant missed time because of off-season knee surgery and an ankle injury. Maurice Evans and Vladimir Radmanovic are still figuring things out with their new team. Andrew Bynum and Jordan Farmar are still young, with Bynum already surviving a demotion to a reserve role.

But they have all forged one important identity so far: They win.

They are 19-10 and have another chance to go 10 games over .500 for the first time since the 2003-04 season. Their six-game trip concludes Friday in Charlotte.

It all leaves Jackson shrugging his shoulders, even though he has said he usually has an idea which way a team will go by late November.

“We’d kind of like to see if someone can develop in this process while Lamar is out,” he said. “If we can get a player to step up and compete and play a step above his game, that’d be really helpful.”

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With the Lakers playing Eastern Conference teams in five of their six games on this trip, Jackson was asked if he could remember a time when a conference was so weak.

All five teams in the Atlantic Division have losing records, and Orlando (17-13) remains atop the Southeast Division despite losing Wednesday to the Lakers, 106-93.

“In the early ‘80s, you might have a Portland or Seattle that competed with the Lakers and five or six teams in the East that were competing all the time,” Jackson said. “Those things happen.”

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One last look at Bryant’s game Monday against Miami, provided by Jackson before Wednesday’s victory over Orlando:

“He’s definitely unhappy with the game that happened on Christmas Day,” he said. “But those things happen. He understands that. Some of it was his own energy that came out there and changed the course of the game and it got away from us early and we just never got back into it.”

Bryant had 16 points on four-for-17 shooting against Miami. He played better against Orlando, scoring 27 points on eight-for-22 shooting and totaling seven assists.

mike.bresnahan@latimes.com