The Los Angeles Lakers have completely overhauled their coaching staff this offseason, bringing in JJ Redick to replace Darvin Ham.
The changes have also extended to the G League level as the organization decided to part ways with South Bay Lakers head coach Dane Johnson, who also coached the Summer League team.
With the Lakers prioritizing player development moving forward, they wanted to bring in a fresh face to run their G League program and have done so with the hiring of Zach Guthrie, per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN:
The Los Angeles Lakers are hiring Zach Guthrie as the coach of the franchise’s G League affiliate in South Bay, sources tell ESPN. Guthrie has been an NBA assistant with Washington, Dallas and Utah. pic.twitter.com/khy0jt0jYg
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) September 10, 2024
Guthrie most recently worked for the Washington Wizards where he was hired in 2021 as an assistant to head coach Wes Unseld Jr. Before that, he was an assistant with the Utah Jazz from 2016-20 and then the Dallas Mavericks from 2020-21.
The Lakers’ G League roster has begun coming together in recent weeks, and now Guthrie will be tasked with developing those guys into NBA-caliber players.
South Bay Lakers release 2024-25 G League schedule
With Zach Guthrie set to coach the 2024-25 season in the G League with the South Bay Lakers, he now knows what that will entail as their full schedule was released.
The NBA G League season is divided by the Tip-Off Tournament followed by the regular season. South Bay will play 14 games leading up to the 2024 NBA G League Winter Showcase
The South Bay Lakers’ regular slate features 24 games at home, including 12 games on a Friday, Saturday or Sunday. The team also has nine back-to-back sets, including consecutive games at Mexico City Friday, Jan. 3, and Saturday, Jan. 4.
Jeanie Buss on Lakers’ hiring of JJ Redick
Speaking for the first time this offseason, Lakers owner Jeanie Buss discussed the team’s hiring of head coach JJ Redick and why he’s the right man for the job.
“We wanted to kind of think a different way. Really, he’s got a vision. I’m not comfortable talking about the basketball stuff, but we were looking for a candidate that would bring something different. And really invest in developing young players. JJ is the right person for us. Again, I just want to work to really speak for itself. So I don’t want to hype it and say it’s gonna be a home run. We have to give him time to establish what he wants to establish. I’m really impressed with his staff. Right now, it’s not mandatory for the players to come in and practice but players are coming in and working out. The coaching staff with Nate McMillan and Scotty Brooks, there’s a lot of experience that will be there for him to make that adjustment to being a head coach. Certainly a 12-year career in the league, he’s got a lot of experience. He knows what this league is about and I think he’ll be a great leader.”
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