Ibrahim Jaaber

Ibrahim Jaaber

Jaaber was announced as a member of the Pistons summer league roster last year, but in the end did not turn up and stayed with Lottomatica Roma. He will not return to Roma next year, and is clearly chasing his NBA dream. The three-time Ivy League champion (really) and Bulgarian international point guard (no, really) is a terrific defensive player and a great athlete, without much of a jumpshot. A smaller but cheaper Shannon Brown alternative? It's possible.

- Ibby Jaaber

Bulgarian international and Brooklyn native Ibrahim Jaaber was announced as a surprise inclusion on the Pistons summer league roster this year. Given his successful European career recently, he didn’t seem to need to be here. Apparently he realised this as well, because he didn’t turn up, and stayed with Lottomatica Roma for one more season. Jaaber is averaging 14.4 points, 3.6 rebounds, 3.1 steals and 2.5 assists per game in SerieA, and averaged 10.4/4.4/2.2/2.5 in Roma's slightly underwhelming Euroleague campaign this year.

I have heard four versions of how to pronounce his surname; Jab-BAR (as in Kareem Abdul), JAY-ber (as in Katelyn Faber), JAR-burr (as in Tiki Barber) or Jabber (as in the Hut). After some research, apparently the last one is right.