Walton aims for a scoring chance

Luke Walton wears jersey No. 4, but he wouldn’t mind sliding up a spot in the Lakers food chain.

There’s Kobe Bryant and Lamar Odom, and then as the No. 3 scoring option, there’s ... Walton?

“Yeah, why not?” Walton said. “I don’t see why I couldn’t be. But we’ve got a very deep team this year so I think you’re going to see a lot of different third guys.”

Walton is that guy for now, averaging 15.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.3 assists while shooting 62.1% through three games.

Lost among Bryant’s return and Odom’s continued foray into 20-point-per-game territory Friday against Seattle was Walton’s 20-point, eight-rebound, five-assist effort.

Walton, tied with Brian Cook for the second-longest tenure on the Lakers, is now a familiar part of the franchise at only 26. He had a chance to leave the Lakers two summers ago as a free agent, but re-signed with the Lakers shortly after Phil Jackson was re-hired in June 2005. He will have similar options this summer as an unrestricted free agent.

He is in the final year of a contract that pays him $1.25 million this season, well below the league average of about $5 million.

“I’d love to stay here,” Walton said. “Being a free agent, obviously you’ve got to go out and check out other things, but obviously I would love to be back here and play my whole career in L.A.”

Either way, he will get guidance from a recognizable source -- his father, Bill, with whom he often talks despite their frenetic schedules. Bill Walton is a basketball analyst for ESPN and ABC.

The elder Walton, known for his sharp-edged commentary, isn’t beyond extending any wit or wisdom to his son after games.

“All the time,” Luke said, smiling. “He’s always critical, but it’s always in a funny, joking way.”

*

A day after his first game of the season, Bryant went through drills and walk-throughs Saturday, but sat out a scrimmage at Jackson’s insistence.

“He wanted to go out and play with these guys this morning, but I kind of told him it was probably better to [rest],” Jackson said. “He got a little bit of exercise and it felt good, so he must be in good health.”

*

The Lakers lead the league with 114 points a game, but Jackson thinks it’s more a product of the leaky defenses they’ve been seeing than another version of the Phoenix Suns taking root in the Pacific Division.

“The teams we played early in the season, we thought they would probably be like this,” Jackson said.

Jackson hopes the Lakers will change their offensive output based on their opponent.

“A lot of our games are going to be about who we play,” Jackson said. “We’re not going to be scoring 110 points against a Memphis or a Detroit or these teams that will come down and execute in the halfcourt instead of run the ball. Against teams that run, we think that we can play both styles of ball.”

mike.bresnahan@latimes.com