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The Los Angeles Lakers hired former Washington Wizards assistant Zach Guthrie to coach their G League affiliate in South Bay, the team announced on September 10.
Guthrie will play a critical role in developing the Lakers’ young players, which include this year’s rookies Dalton Knecht and Bronny James, second-year players Jalen Hood-Schifino and Maxwell Lewis, and their two-way players Colin Castleton, Blake Hinson and Armel Traoré.
“I’m incredibly honored to step into this role as head coach of the South Bay Lakers,” Guthrie said in the official team press release. “Helping players unlock their full potential is critically important to me. I let players know it’s a partnership and it’s our collective mission to help them succeed in every way possible. I couldn’t be more excited to work alongside Coach Redick and his staff to build a developmental program dedicated to excellence at every level.”
Guthrie replaced Dane Johnson, who parted ways with the Lakers in August, just a few weeks after coaching James and Knecht in the NBA Summer League. Johnson compiled a 26-24 overall record in the G League.
Guthrie served as an assistant with the Dallas Mavericks under Rick Carlise and five seasons on Quin Snyder’s staff with the Utah Jazz from 2015-20. Before that, Guthrie served as manager of advanced scouting for the Orlando Magic from 2012-15.
Zach Guthrie’s Coaching Philosophy
Guthrie’s coaching philosophy perfectly aligns with the Lakers’ vision of a new player development program under the franchise’s rookie head coach JJ Redick.
“I think right now, we as coaches have a tendency to be too siloed,” Guthrie said on “The Basketball” podcast with Chris Oliver from Basketball Immersion in August 2023. “We want to just look at the micro, the little skills and the drill and this play and this thing. I think it’s all about connecting it to the game and understanding the context.
We want to have these boutique, 1-on-1 sessions. Everything’s about [the player] and his development and his growth. But you have to understand how that transfers to the team, to the 5-on-5 element. We take so much of this out of context and we get so lost in this individual skill when it’s about how does it transfer to the team and how can we get as much team growth as possible… That’s what I mean by the holistic approach.”
Redick spoke of having a holistic approach during Bronny James and Knecht’s introductory press conference. He even referred to LeBron James‘ son as their “case study one.”
Bronny James to Spend Time in G League Under Zach Guthrie
Bronny James is expected to spend most of his rookie season in the G League, according to The Athletic’s Jovan Buha.
The 19-year-old rookie said in July he would welcome such experience as he gets to acclimatize to the pros after his lackluster one-and-done season in college.
“I’m just looking forward to any basketball I play, no matter what level I’m playing at,” said James, per ESPN’s Dave McMenamin.
Bronny, selected 55th overall in the 2024 NBA Draft, had an uneven Summer League stint which showed how far he is from becoming a rotation player. He averaged just 4.3 points on an atrocious 22.6% from the field and 0-for-15 from the 3-point line in his first four games before bouncing back strong in his final two games.
Bronny totaled 25 points with 3 assists while shooting 10-of-21 shooting, including 3-of-8 from beyond the arc to end his Summer League campaign on a high note.
