Bynum says this is the season

Andrew Bynum has definitely heard the comparison.

Jermaine O’Neal flew under the radar for four seasons at Portland before awakening in his fifth season after a trade to Indiana that ultimately spurred him to become a top post player.

Bynum, in his third season, doesn’t necessarily like the association with O’Neal. He’d rather be a presence sooner, like now.

“This year’s the year,” he said. “I kind of think we go as far as our young guys take us, me and Javaris [Crittenton] being the young guys, going out there and getting some things done on our second unit. I’m still trying to go out there and be a starter, but as of right now, I think Phil [Jackson] is favoring Chris Mihm -- veteran status and all that.”

Bynum finally leaves teenage status behind when he turns 20 on Oct. 27.

He was the youngest player drafted in NBA history and became the youngest to appear in a regular-season game (18 years, 6 days). Before the end of the month, the Lakers will do the obvious and pick up the final year of his option to keep him under contract through next season.

But beyond that, owner Jerry Buss doesn’t peer too far into the future.

“There are times where he certainly seems like he could just dominate, and there’s other times I realize he’s only 19,” Buss said in an interview this week. “I’m not that much of a prophet. I like to think he’s going to be sensational. He certainly seems to have all the physical abilities.

“He’s got the body. His arms are longer than imaginable. His shooting percentage [is] good, he hits his free throws. How long should we give him? A couple more years and then make a critique, I guess.”

Bynum’s performance Thursday in a 119-106 loss to Golden State mirrored his career so far -- a splash of excitement followed by a period of pinwheeling.

He had five points and four rebounds in the first nine minutes of the game at Honolulu but reentered in the third quarter and missed two shots, was hit with two offensive fouls and was called for a traveling violation all in a span of 1:12.

“He looked pretty good that first run,” Jackson said. “The second time Andrew came in, he had a nightmare out there.”

Said Bynum: “That’s kind of been my rap in the league -- flash a little bit of potential, but half the time I look like I’m not really interested. That’s not really the case. I go out there and play with energy and effort all the time.”

Kobe Bryant continued to adapt to his new facilitator role in the loss to the Warriors.

Bryant had 11 points on two-for-10 shooting, eight assists and five turnovers in 26 minutes.

The Lakers had 25 turnovers and made three of 14 (21.4%) three-point attempts as they lost their second consecutive game to the Warriors.

“I told them I didn’t think they did anything well tonight,” Jackson said.

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mike.bresnahan@latimes.com