LOS ANGELES – As he sat patiently on the bench, Lakers forward Thomas Robinson remained unsure if and when he would step on the basketball court.

With Lakers coach Luke Walton disgusted with his team’s energy, he turned to a source who has become as dependable as a backup battery. Robinson entered an eventual blowout loss against the Clippers last week and provided the kind of unyielding hustle his teammates lacked that night. That energy resulted in 16 points on 7-of-8 shooting and six rebounds in only 10 minutes.

“I don’t want to say I proved a point,” Robinson said, grinning. “But hopefully I showed I’m capable of performing at this level when I play.”

That kind of performance explains why Walton likes what Robinson has provided since the Lakers signed him to a non-guaranteed deal last summer.

“He’s been one of our hardest workers all year,” Walton said. “He made the team by how hard he worked.”

While Robinson’s energy is dependable, when he gets to provide it has become a guessing game. With the Lakers placing more priority on developing their recent draft picks, the 26-year-old Robinson entered Tuesday’s game against Washington with 33 healthy scratches. Some of those were the byproduct of Walton rewarding third-year forward Tarik Black for his own growth.

“All I control is making sure I’m back in the gym working and make sure I’m giving my all when my number is called,” Robinson said. “That’s all part of being a pro. That’s my job description this year. It’s to be ready whenever my name is called. It’s probably not called when I want. But that’s my job description. So I have to come in here and do it.”

Robinson hasn’t always accepted that reality.

“His growth has come a lot in maturing,” Walton said. “I know there’s times he was playing really well and he stopped playing because he was frustrated and he was angry.”

So, Walton explained his thought process to Robinson. He also instructed him to channel his energy into supporting his teammates from the bench, mindful it could become as infectious as the on-court energy he provides.

“Luke’s been great,” Robinson said. “He’s been helping me a lot this year.”

Because of that help, Robinson said he will “do anything possible I can to stay a Laker” once he becomes an unrestricted free agent on July 1.

“I’m trying to build my family here,” said Robinson, the No. 5 pick in the 2012 NBA draft who had short stints in Sacramento (2012-13), Houston (2013), Portland (2013-14), Philadelphia (2014-15) and Brooklyn (2015-16). “I would love to be here for a few years. Just be somewhere for a while.”

Robinson knows Lakers president of basketball operations Magic Johnson and General Manager Rob Pelinka will weigh plenty of factors when making roster decisions. If Robinson does not receive wish?

“I’ll just get up and go, but I don’t want to anymore,” Robinson said. “I’m tired. I want to sit down.”

That is, unless of course, Walton calls his number to check into a game. Then, he will provide energy and hope to keep going and going.

PROVIDING PERSPECTIVE

One significant ingredient helped a young Oklahoma City Thunder team overcome its learning curve.

“My recommendation, you get Russell (Westbrook), Kevin (Durant) and James (Harden), and you’ll have a pretty good young team,” quipped Washington coach Scott Brooks, who coached the Thunder from 2008 to 2015.

After finishing with a 22-47 record in 2008-09, the Thunder made five consecutive playoff appearances, twice reaching the Western Conference finals and one trip to the NBA Finals. Westbrook and Durant had a lot to do with it, but Brooks said the Thunder also showed specific qualities the Lakers hope their young core develops.

“I had good young players who were committed to doing things the right way and were committed to the team and they worked extremely hard,” Brooks said. “You had to scream and fight and do whatever it takes to keep them off the court.

“If it was in practice, it was like pulling teeth to stop scrimmaging one another. That’s how you get better. You don’t get better by resting players. You don’t get better by making players feel comfortable. You have to challenge them.”

Contact the writer: mmedina@scng.com