South Bay’s Zach Guthrie explains synergy with Lakers’ JJ Redick

As it is G League has grown, cooperation between NBA teams and their affiliates has also grown, as has the case with Los Angeles Lakers and their South Bay branch. South Bay head coach Zach Guthrie is in his element second season at workand works closely with the Lakers head coach JJ Redick.

Since JJ Redick took over as the Lakers’ head coach last season, he has often used the team’s two-way contract players. Jordan Goodwin, Christian Colocco and Trey Jamison played key roles last year. This year, Drew Timme and Nick Smith Jr. was winning for the Lakers with their influence.

Guthrie was already familiar with Redick, having been part of the Dallas Mavericks’ 2021 coaching staff during Redick’s final season of his playing career. Over the past two seasons, Guthrie has had frequent communication with the Lakers regarding court structure.

“We’re well on our way in terms of understanding what JJ, Rob (Pelinka), the front office, what everybody wants from the South Bay … our communication is great. We have clear standards of what we want and what we want to achieve, and we have the same communication systems,” Guthrie told ClutchPoints in an exclusive interview. “We might not necessarily run every play the same. We don’t have LeBron James, we don’t have Luka Doncic or Austin Reeves. So we run things a little differently. But the language is the same.”

Even before Zach Guthrie joined the South Bay, the Lakers used their G League affiliate to develop players, even if not exactly for their franchise. Scottie Pippen Jr., Jay Huff and Collin Castleton all found roles with other teams after starting in the South Bay.

Alex Caruso was a South Bay success story before playing a key role on two NBA Championship teams, first with the 2020 Lakers and then later with the 2025 Oklahoma City Thunder. Recently, Kobe Bufkin showed off his explosive start into the G League season with possibilities with the Memphis Grizzlies and Lakers.

Guthrie has worked extensively with Bufkin this season and was impressed when he asked to play with South Bay during his 10-day contract with the Lakers. South Bay had a home game between the Lakers, and Bufkin took the opportunity to use the tools at his disposal to continue improving.

“We want to hold guys up to a standard … we talked to Kobe about what the separator is to get him to the NBA, and that’s defense,” Guthrie said. “If he keeps it up, he could be called up. I didn’t know it would be a few days later. I’m incredibly happy for Kobe, that’s what it’s all about. We’re celebrating success, and I think it speaks to the character of Kobe Bufkin… he wanted to play because that’s who he is, he wants to stay his competitor, he wants to play. rhythm, he wants to stay in shape.”

When the Lakers initially signed Bufkin to a 10-day contract, Redick praised the way Guthrie challenged him this season. He agreed that defense will have to be Bufkin’s defining characteristic in order to earn an NBA roster spot.

“Zach really challenged him in that regard. That’s one of those things that I think makes it kind of easier. You have the same language on both teams, so you should be familiar with our coverage and everything,” Redick said immediately after the Lakers signed Bufkin. “The G League game is different, so there are certain things that Zach does that are a little different than us, but he really challenged him on that end.”

Zach Guthrie’s humble beginnings in the G League

Before Zach Guthrie became the head coach of the South Bay, before he was an assistant coach with the Mavericks, Utah Jazz and Washington Wizards, he started as an intern with the then-Austin Toros in 2007 when the G League was still the Development League, or NBA D-League.

He was a student at the nearby University of Texas and was eventually promoted to assistant video coordinator for the San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs were the parent club of the Toros and were later renamed the Austin Spurs. At the time, the Spurs were only the second NBA franchise to own a development team, following the Lakers’ purchase of the then-Los Angeles D-Fenders.

To see where the G League is now compared to when it first started, with all 30 teams having their own affiliates and the addition of the non-affiliated Mexico City Capitanes, still seems surreal to him.

“It’s really the highest level of anything. The infrastructure, with 31 teams, being able to practice in this practice facility that the Lakers have, it’s amazing. We used to practice in a rec center with homeless people walking through it when I was in Austin… This is the Rolls Royce vs. beat-up Guy Pinto that we’ve been in,” “The structural changes in the league are pretty fantastic, but the way basketball is played, the level of competition between the players, the two-way contracts they have done nothing but improve the quality of the league.

The NBA first established two-way contracts ahead of the 2017-18 season. It started with two additional roster spots per team, with some limitations. Two-way contract players were eligible for a maximum of 45 NBA games and were not eligible for postseason play.

After the 2020 bubble and the following 2020-21 season during which the COVID-19 pandemic took its toll on the NBA, the league temporarily allowed players on two-way contracts to be active throughout the season and playoffs to mitigate absences due to illness. The league then settled on a permanent number of 50 active games, increased the number of two-way roster spots to three and provided a significant salary increase.

Last season, Guthrie played a significant role in the development of Jordan Goodwin who eventually earned a two-way contract and then a standard contract with the Lakers. This year, his decision to play Drew Timme a little outside of his comfort zone also helped earn him a two-way contract with the Lakers. While the two-way contract players aren’t always with the team, Guthrie is a major proponent of what their addition has brought to the G League.

“That adds three more players that are getting real NBA money that could be made overseas. An infusion of talent that stays in-state and doesn’t go overseas,” Guthrie said. “This is a competitive league with good coaches who want to win and combine that with development. It’s a great place for guys to get better, a great place for our team to continue to develop world-class RJ Davis, Drew Timms, Kobe Bufkins, Jordan Goodwins.”

Zach Guthrie’s G League Challenge Today

However, one of the biggest challenges that comes with that is the constant roster turnover when two-way contract players are called up to the Lakers. For most of the season, Lakers two-way guard Chris Mannon played in the South Bay. But both Tim and Smith rotated throughout the year.

It is a challenge that requires constant perspective and support from the entire team.

“We talk about being process-oriented. I know it’s a cliché and it’s coaching and this and that, but you really have to be where your feet are in the G League. You can’t ride the wave of emotion and results,” Guthrie said. “We’ve had guys upset that they’re not playing in one game and now they’re going to have to play 35 minutes the next night. Or they’re playing DNP and now they’re starting. “That’s just the nature of this league. It really teaches you how to be a pro, how to live with these things.”

“For a lot of these guys, this is the first time in their lives that they’re probably not playing or playing limited minutes. These guys have been the best players on their team their whole lives,” Guthrie continued. “And now I’m asking you to come off the bench, play one night … it’s a great way to learn how to be a pro and still attack the process. How I prepare day in and day out in practice, and keep those habits consistent.”

And in the grand scheme of things, Guthrie believes he was blessed to land in a great situation with the South Bay. In the two years he’s been on the job, he’s seen collaborations between Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka, South Bay general manager Nick Mazzella and JJ Redick. The South Bay franchise is truly among the elite in the G League.

“Our ability and synergy between the LAL and the SPL is at a high level. ..we want to be the best in the NBA. Just like I talked to our team, it’s about our process,” Guthrie said. “I’m just very fortunate and privileged to be in this organization that does this at a really high level.”