As the G League has grown in stature, the collaboration between NBA teams and their affiliate has grown as well, like it has with the Los Angeles Lakers and their South Bay affiliate. South Bay head coach Zach Guthrie is in his second season on the job, and works in close conjunction with Lakers head coach JJ Redick.
Since JJ Redick took over as Lakers’ head coach last season, he’s used the team’s two-way contract players quite often. Jordan Goodwin, Christian Koloko and Trey Jemison all played key roles at times last year. This year, Drew Timme and Nick Smith Jr. have won games for the Lakers with their impact.
Guthrie was already familiar with Redick, having been a part of the Dallas Mavericks coaching staff in 2021 during Redick’s final season of his playing career. For the past two seasons, the Guthrie has had frequent communication with the Lakers’ brass in terms of on-court structure.
“We’re in lock step in terms of understanding what JJ, Rob [Pelinka], the front office, what everyone wants out of South Bay. . .our communication is excellent. We have clear standards of what we want and what we want to accomplish, and having the same communication systems,” Guthrie told ClutchPoints in an exclusive interview. “We might not necessarily run every play the same. We don’t have a LeBron James, we don’t have a Luka Doncic or an Austin Reaves. So we run things slightly different. But the language is the same.”
Even before Zach Guthrie joined South Bay, the Lakers took advantage of their G League affiliate to develop players, even if not exactly for their own franchise. Scotty Pippen Jr., Jay Huff and Colin Castleton have all found roles with other teams after getting their start with South Bay.
Alex Caruso was a South Bay success story before going on to play a key role on two NBA championship teams, first with the Lakers in 2020 and then later with the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2025. Most recently, Kobe Bufkin parlayed his explosive start to the G League season into opportunities with the Memphis Grizzlies and Lakers.
Guthrie has gotten to work 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 in between Lakers games, and Bufkin seized the opportunity to use the tools available to continue improving.
“We want to hold guys to a standard. . .with Kobe we talked about what’s the separator to get him to the NBA, and that’s defense,” Guthrie said. “If he keeps that up, he can get called up. Little did I know it would be a couple of days later. I’m phenomenally happy for Kobe, that’s what it’s all about. We celebrate successes, and I think it speaks to the character of Kobe Bufkin. . .he wanted to play because that’s who he is, he’s a competitor. . .he wants to play, he wants to keep his rhythm, he wants to stay in shape.”
When the Lakers initially signed Bufkin to a 10-day contract, Redick was complimentary of the way that Guthrie had challenged him this season. He concurred that defense was going to have to be Bufkin’s defining characteristic to earn an NBA roster spot.
“Zach’s really challenged him on that end. It’s one of those things that I think in some ways makes it easier. You have the same language from both teams so you should be familiar with our coverages and everything,” Redick said right after the Lakers had signed Bufkin. “The G League game is different, so there’s certain things that Zach does that are a little bit different than we do, but he’s really challenged him on that end.”
Zach Guthrie’s humble beginnings in the G League
Before Zach Guthrie became South Bay head coach, before he was an assistant coach with the Mavericks, Utah Jazz and Washington Wizards, he got his start 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 an undergraduate student at the nearby University of Texas, and he was eventually promoted as assistant video coordinator for the San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs were the parent club of the Toros, and they would later rebrand themselves as 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 he first started, with all 30 teams having their own affiliate as well as the addition of the unaffiliated Mexico City Capitanes, still feels unreal to him.
“It is truly the highest level of everything. The infrastructure, having 31 teams, being able to practice in this practice facility that the Lakers have, this is unbelievable. We used to practice in a rec center with homeless people walking through when I was in Austin. . .This is a Rolls Royce vs. a beat-up Pinto we were in,” Guthrie said. “The structural changes in the league are pretty fantastic, but the way the basketball is played, the level of the competition in players, two-way contracts have done nothing but improve the quality of the league.”
The NBA first instituted two-way contracts ahead of the 2017-18 season. It began with two additional roster spots per team, with some limitations. Two-way contract players were only eligible for up to 45 NBA games, and they were not eligible for postseason play.
Following the 2020 bubble and the subsequent 2020-21 season during which the COVID-19 pandemic took it’s toll on the NBA, the league temporarily allowed two-way contract players to be active for the entire season as well as the playoffs to help mitigate illness-related absences. 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 pay increase.
Last season, Guthrie played a sizable role in the development of Jordan Goodwin who ultimately earned a two-way contract, and then standard contract with the Lakers. This year, his decision to play Drew Timme a little out of his comfort zone also helped him get a two-way contract with the Lakers. Although 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 making money overseas. An infusion of talent that stays stateside and doesn’t go abroad,” Guthrie said. “This is a competitive league with good coaches that want to win and are marrying that with development. It’s a great place for guys to get better, a great place for our team to continue to develop the RJ Davises of the world, the Drew Timmes, the Kobe Bufkins, the Jordan Goodwins.”
Zach Guthrie’s present day G League challenge
One of the major challenges that comes with that though is the constant shuffling of the roster when the two-way contract players are called up to the Lakers. For most of the season, Lakers two-way guard Chris Mañon has played with South Bay. But both Timme and Smith have been rotating throughout the year.
It’s a challenge that requires constant perspective and buy-in from the entire team.
“We talk about being process-oriented. I know it’s cliche and it’s coaching and this and that, but truly you have to be where your feet are in the G League. You can’t ride the wave of emotion and results,” Guthrie said. “We had guys that were 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 DNPing 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 life they’re probably ever not playing or playing limited minutes. These guys have been the best player on their team for their whole lives,” Guthrie continued. “And now I’m asking you to come off the bench, DNP one night. . .it’s a great way to learn how to be a pro and still attack the process. How am I preparing 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 South Bay. In the two years that he’s been on the job, he’s seen the collaboration 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 LAL And 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 lucky and privileged to be in this organization that does it at a really high level.”
