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TSN Raptors Reporter

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TORONTO - Luis Scola was a popular man ahead of Tuesday night's game, his first visit to the Air Canada Centre since signing with Brooklyn this past summer.

Although his Raptors tenure was brief, a one-season stop at the tail end of his illustrious professional career, the long-haired Argentine is one of the most well liked players to have come through the organization over the years, and with good reason. He exudes wisdom and is generous enough with his time to pass it on. He both gives and commands respect. He's an overall great dude.

As he greeted familiar faces on his way to the visitor's locker room, a Raptors staffer came over to say hello.

"I wish you were still here," he told Scola.

"So do I," the 36-year-old forward responded with his trademark smile.

They both had a laugh, but he wasn't kidding. Man, he wasn't kidding. After being a part of a Raptors club that made it to the Conference Finals last season, Scola is getting used to life on a bad Nets team, one that, as he says, is "losing the same amount of games [Toronto was] winning last year".

Although the Raptors haven't missed a beat from that standpoint - they're actually ahead of last year's pace with a record of 20-8 after Tuesday's 116-104 win over Brooklyn - they too have fond memories of Scola's time in Toronto.

Without him or any other old head driving up their average age, the Raptors are the NBA's third-youngest team. Granted, that statistic is a bit misleading, as most of their youth is in the back-end of the roster, but it's still pretty unusual for a winning team in a league where experience is currency. Kyle Lowry, 30, is their oldest player. In the franchise's 22-year history, they've only had two younger "oldest players" to open a season.

Over the last few years, as they have grown from a team in Brooklyn's shoes to the Eastern Conference power they are today, the Raps have benefited from the veteran leadership of guys like Scola, Chuck Hayes, John Salmons and Jamaal Magloire.

While the Raptors have been Lowry and DeMar DeRozan's team for some time, now more than ever before, their responsibilities extend beyond what you see on the court. Toronto's all-star guards are also the indisputable leaders in the locker room and, according to man they inherited that role from, it's a seamless transition for them.

"I think they were very prepared," said Scola. "Kyle is a spectacular leader. He has the power, because he’s played at such a high level, that gives you a lot of power. There are many different ways to be a leader. Some guys, they don’t need to play that well. They don’t need to be such a superstar to be a leader because they’ve got a different type of character. Some others, they don’t have that type of character, because they’re such good players, they’re good leaders anyway."

"Kyle developed [over] the years a great leadership ability and also his game [is] at such a high level that that makes him a great leader. DeMar is right next to him. They feed off of each other. They both try to do the right thing. They both try to help each other and do the right thing. They’re two great leaders. That’s one of the reasons why the team is so good."

They lead in different ways. Lowry is more vocal, he's the guy that holds teammates - and himself - accountable. Dwane Casey says he's also been taking the young players out to dinner (and hopefully picking up the bill). DeRozan leads by example and, given how hard he works, his is not a bad example for the others to follow.

"Both of them are doing a great job – not a good job, a great job – of leading, helping the young guys, talking to young guys, trying to make sure everybody is comfortable, and they’re doing a special job," Casey said. "They’ve grown into that."

It's come with time and experience, understanding what it takes to win, and the valuable lessons they have picked up over the years. DeRozan remembers being mentored by Chris Bosh and Jarrett Jack in his rookie season with the Raptors. Lowry has a long list of veterans that have left a mark on his career: Chucky Atkins, Shane Battier, Pau Gasol and Damon Stoudamire, a former Raptor, who he played with in Memphis.

"That's what it's all about," said the 27-year-old DeRozan. "Just setting an example now because, like I tell guys like Norm, younger guys, you're going to be in a position where guys are going to look up to you one day and you've got to learn from somebody because we all did."

"They're a lot more vocal [this season], especially with the young guys, talking to us," said Powell, the Raptors' emerging sophomore swingman. "They've done a lot of team-building stuff. Kyle over at Thanksgiving had a whole team function or Thanksgiving dinner. You miss guys like Scola just from his veteran leadership, his outlook from the game and just picking his brain, but the guys have done a great job of keeping that chemistry, keeping that family feel."

It's the circle of life in the NBA. Now, as strange as it is for them to think about, they are the guys young teammates like Powell, Delon Wright, Pascal Siakam and Jakob Poeltl are looking to for guidance. Perhaps in the not so distant future, when those guys are shepherding the next batch of talent into the league, they will credit the teachings of Lowry and DeRozan.

"You're trying to push the fast forward button and I'm trying to keep my youth for as long as possible," DeRozan joked. "But, I mean, yeah."

"Hopefully they remember me," Lowry said. "Hopefully I taught them well."