Lakers Rumors: Zach Guthrie Hired as Coach of NBA G League Affiliate in South Bay

Washington Wizards assistant coach Zach Guthrie has been hired as head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers' G League affiliate, the South Bay Lakers, per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

The South Bay Lakers parted ways with former head coach Dane Johnson in August after one season and a 26-24 overall record.

Guthrie was hired by the Wizards in 2021 as an assistant to head coach Wes Unseld Jr. He previously worked with the Utah Jazz as an assistant to Quin Snyder from 2016 to 2020, followed by two seasons with the Dallas Mavericks and Rick Carlisle.

Guthrie also has experience as manager of advanced scouting for the Orlando Magic and as assistant video coordinator for the San Antonio Spurs, according to the National Basketball Coaches Association.

Former South Bay head coach Johnson left the organization after 2024 No. 55 pick Bronny James, the son of Lakers star LeBron James, struggled early in summer league play.

Guthrie will now likely be charged with taking on the task of developing James, who is expected to spend most of his rookie season in the G League.

Guthrie's previous head coaching experience includes leading the Wizards in the 2022 summer league.

In 2023 Guthrie provided some insight into his coaching philosophy on The Basketball Podcast with Chris Oliver from Basketball Immersion, when he said he liked to take a "holistic approach" to coaching.

"I think right now, we as coaches have a tendency to be too siloed," Guthrie told Oliver last summer. "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."

Lakers fans will now see how Guthrie decides to apply that approach to James' development when the South Bay Lakers tip off their 17th NBA G League season on Nov. 9 at the NBA team's practice facility.