Hi,
Ubuntu Basketball knows many people on this list do not watch the NBA like casual fans.
They pause.
They rewind.
They ask “Why did that possession work?”
This email is for that group.
Ubuntu Basketball is putting two tools front and center:
- The Advantage Chains (ACI) Playbook
- A new Zylvie product: custom NBA study packs
Both are built for players and coaches who want critical insight, not just highlights.
Here is the first filmroom session that we recently had recorded by our Founder Coach Ermay Duran and that digs in into how he would break film down at a basic level:
- ACI Playbook: a simple 0–3 call for every possession
Most teams still grade offense by make or miss.
Advantage Chains looks at the possession before the shot.
The Advantage Chain Index (ACI) is a 0–3 call:
0 – No advantage, action is dead
1 – Advantage created
2 – Advantage kept or deepened
3 – Cash-out in a real high-value shot
In the ACI Playbook, Coach Ermay Duran shows how to:
- Tag film quickly using ACI
- Track chain length and time-to-action
- Turn those tags into:
- One decision rule
- One small-sided constraint
- One simple measurement for the next game
Pre-launch price: 5 Euros
Get the playbook here:
Chloe, a 27-year-old pro wing in Europe, that's been working on developing her self with our help over the last 3 season, now tags her pick-and-roll and early offense with ACI each week.
She found a pattern in two games:
- Many early pull-ups were coming at “1” or “2” on the chain
- She was cashing out before the best shot appeared
After adjusting, her numbers shifted:
- Fewer rushed pull-ups
- More paint touches and kick-outs
- More trust from her coach in late-clock situations
Same game.
Clearer language.
- New on Zylvie: custom NBA study packs
Ubuntu Basketball added a product for those who live on NBA clips but want structure.
Players and coaches can now request a custom NBA study pack:
- Any current NBA player
- Possessions from the current or last 2–3 seasons
- One merged video with all requested clips
- A short guide on what to watch for
This is ideal if someone:
- Models their game after a specific guard, wing, or big
- Coaches players with a similar role
- Cares more about decisions and spacing than mixtape edits
Product link:
https://zylvie.com/ubuntubasketball/p/PBReqNBA
DJ, a current JuCo guard, that connected with our brand through another player we were helping has used Zylvie for the past 3 months.
With the new NBA packs he chose a guard whose role he wants to grow into and requested:
- Pick-and-roll reads
- Late-clock decisions
- Early offense situations
His routine is simple:
- First watch: no pause, just rhythm
- Second watch: pause before each decision and call his own choice
- Third watch: compare his choice with what actually happened
He then takes:
- One idea into his next workout
- One idea into his next game
He is turning NBA viewing into a real class.
- How this all connects back to ProLab
Ubuntu Basketball sees ProLab as the physical lab where all of this shows up on court.
Every summer, close to two dozen pros from the G League, top European leagues, Asia, and overseas come to Amsterdam to work at ProLab.
There:
- Sessions run at SportCentrum VU – Uilenstede
- Small groups focus on real game situations
- Video supports decision work and shot quality
ACI, custom NBA packs, and other Zylvie products feed into that same system:
- ACI sharpens how players see possessions
- NBA packs give concrete examples of high-level solutions
- ProLab turns those insights into live, constrained reps under fatigue
Around this core, the ecosystem stays simple:
ProLab (Amsterdam)
On-court, constraint-led work with serious players.
Zero Seconds Film Lab
Film course focused on advantage recognition and decision speed.
https://www.zerosecsfilmlab.com/
Zylvie store
Books, breakdowns, NBA and pro footage.
https://zylvie.com/ubuntubasketball
Chalkboard (Forento)
E-learning on CLA, Differential Learning, and practice design.
https://ubuntubball.forento.site/
Ubuntu Basketball main site
Background, philosophy, and blog.
https://www.ubuntu.basketball/
If someone on this list watches NBA games with a coach’s eye, Ubuntu Basketball built the ACI Playbook and the new NBA request product exactly for that kind of brain.
The invitation:
Use what you already watch to change how you think, train, and play.
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