In Hawaii, Stephen Curry and his spouse Ayesha were photographed surfing.

The Lakers appoint Zach Guthrie as their G League coach

The Times was informed by persons with knowledge of the decision who were not permitted to speak publicly about it that the Lakers are recruiting NBA assistant Zach Guthrie to coach their G League team, the South Bay Lakers.

Since 2021, Guthrie has been a member of the Washington Wizards. He takes Dane Johnson’s spot.

The Lakers intend to place a high priority on player development, making this hire—the last important coaching position to be filled in coach JJ Redick’s offseason—critical.

The South Bay roster could include key young players like last season’s rookies, Jalen Hood-Schifino and Maxwell Lewis, and this year’s draft picks, Dalton Knecht and Bronny James. Three more players on two-way contracts for the Lakers are Armel Traoré, Blake Hinson, and Colin Castleton.During his time in the NBA, Guthrie worked with Quin Snyder in Utah and Rick Carlisle in Dallas. He has also held jobs in San Antonio and Orlando.

Gregg Popovich, a tree disciple coach, joins the Lakers as a G League coach

The Los Angeles Lakers are entering the 2024–25 NBA season with high expectations. In 2023, Los Angeles came close to making it to the NBA Finals but lost again the following year. LeBron James has a two-year contract, so LA is hoping for a big victory. Nevertheless, considering their decision to add Zach Guthrie to their coaching staff as Gregg Popovich’s tree disciple, the Lakers continue to place a high priority on the development of young talent with their G League franchise.

According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Los Angeles has hired Guthrie to lead the South Bay Lakers G League squad.

Previously, Zach Guthrie worked as an NBA assistant with the Utah Jazz, Indiana Pacers, and Washington Wizards. Most notably, under former head coach Quin Snyder, Guthrie was employed by the Jazz from 2016 to 2020. Snyder is regarded as a branch of the coaching tree of Gregg Popovich. He was the head coach of the Austin Toros, the G-League (formerly D-League) affiliate of the San Antonio Spurs. Guthrie, Snyder’s erstwhile aide, is thus also included in the tree.

Guthrie wants to support the Lakers’ G League players as they advance and succeed as professionals. Guthrie may have the opportunity to work with some really interesting prospects, one of them is former USC basketball player Bronny James.

In the second round of the 2024 draft, Los Angeles picked James with the 55th pick. James was a very skilled high school basketball player who was ranked in the top 100 by ESPN and was named a McDonald’s All-American. He did not, however, have the college debut that many had anticipated.