After spending two seasons as the G League head coach, the Lakers are giving Zach Guthrie quite the promotion.
As first reported by Shams Charania of ESPN on Friday morning, Guthrie will be an assistant coach under JJ Redick this season and will also serve as the head of player development.
Guthrie certainly has helped develop multiple players during his two seasons with the then-South Bay Lakers. The list of players who have spent time in the G League and developed is a growing one in recent years, highlighted by Bronny James, Adou Thiero and Chris Mañon. The likes of Kobe Bufkin, Drew Timme and Jordan Goodwin have also played their way into contracts after spending time in the G League.
More than just development, South Bay has had a success to match it as well. The team made the Western Conference Finals last season after finishing the regular season with a 26-10 record.
Giving him the role of head of player development makes sense and is a just reward for the work he’s done so far. With the Lakers getting much younger this season, it’s nice to see the team place emphasis on developing internally.
It will be interesting to see how the reshuffling works. Ty Abbot was previously hired as the director of player development. Previously, it was announced that Ty Abbott had been named director of player development. However, it looks like his title last season did not reflect that.
Abbot is currently coaching the Lakers’ Summer League team, which has been impressive, so it’s unlikely he’s going anywhere. Perhaps he remains an assistant coach with a focus on player development alongside Guthrie.
Coaching staffs are a place where Mark Walter can flex his financial muscle, as there are far fewer limits on how many teams can have. It’s not a bad thing to have many player development coaches.
There is also, obviously, a need for a new head coach of the G League side, which will be konwn as the Coachella Valley Lakers moving forward. Lindsey Harding is an assistant coach on Redick’s staff and has experience as a G League head coach and could potentially be an option.
It feels more likely, though, that a new person is hired rather than a reshuffling of the current coaching staff.
You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude or on Bluesky at @jacobrude.bsky.social.
