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TSN Raptors Reporter

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TORONTO - Understandably, the Raptors' more expensive off-season additions got most of the fanfare this summer. They shelled out $90-million for the services of do-it-all forward DeMarre Carroll and Canadian point guard Cory Joseph after all, but they're hopeful that a couple under the radar signings will also pay dividends.

Veteran big man Luis Scola and defensive stalwart Bismack Biyombo figure to play key roles off Toronto's bench this season. Between them, they'll make $6-million in 2015-16.

Scola and Biyombo are an odd pairing, both on and off the floor, but they share one very important quality: they play the game extremely hard. It shouldn't take long for fans to embrace the front-court duo.

Anchoring the team's revamped second unit, the newcomers made their Raptors debut in Sunday's pre-season opener, a decisive 93-73 win over the Los Angeles Clippers in Vancouver. Their energy was felt immediately upon checking into the game late in the first quarter. You wouldn't know it from watching them in that moment, but they're in very different stages of their career.

At 35, Scola is the oldest player Toronto has rostered since sparingly used, then 36-year-old Anthony Carter in 2011-12. He's poised to become the Raptors' oldest rotation player since Antonio Davis more than a decade ago.

A former seventh-overall draft pick, the 23-year-old Biyombo is looking for a fresh start following four underwhelming seasons in Charlotte.

"I'm excited," said Biyombo, who found himself on the open market this summer after the Hornets declined to extend him a qualifying offer. He had three coaches in four years, bouncing between the starting lineup and the second unit before ultimately falling out of favour with the organization.

"I can't sit here and tell you a lot of things about it but, more than anything, I'm excited to play the game. I still have a lot of work to do, so I look forward to that. I know a lot of people will be watching... I'll let my game speak for itself."

Biyombo has never been much of an offensive player. Many would argue that his limited range makes him a liability in today's NBA, but the Raptors couldn't care less. Coming off an abysmal defensive season, one that saw them fall from a top-10 ranking to 25th, Dwane Casey's club was anxious to add a player of Biyombo's unique skill set. They know exactly what they signed up for.

"His [role] is to be our defensive captain," Casey said. "I think his talking, his shot blocking, his protecting the rim is off the charts."

Casey, an assistant coach with the title-winning Mavericks in 2010-11, compared Biyombo's responsibility within the Raptors' system to Tyson Chandler, a player he had in Dallas. Chandler, a former defensive player of the year winner, was tasked with protecting the rim above all else.

"We probably ran one play for him, the first play of the game, and that was it," Casey recalled. He's challenged Biyombo to become "an MVP in that role."

"It's easy," said the Congolese centre. "Defence for me is instinct and I think that's the easy part of my game."

"I know what type of player I am. There's no limitation to my game and obviously the main focus with the team for me right now is to be able to cover weaknesses of [other] guys, help them on defence, talk to them, make sure they understand what we're about, and I think that's my job as a defensive player. So it is my goal to make sure we play better on defence and I think it's going to continue to be like that for the rest of the season."

Quietly, he has already established himself as one of the league's premier rim protectors, despite being undersized at the centre position. Last year, the 6-foot-9 Biyombo held opponents to just 53 per cent in the restricted area, the second-best mark in the NBA, topped only by Warriors centre Andrew Bogut.

For the sake of comparison, the Raptors, as a team, allowed opponents to shoot 61 per cent around the rim and only seven clubs surrendered more points in the paint. They ranked 24th in defensive rebounding percentage, an area in which Biyombo should also help Toronto improve.

The passion Biyombo has for basketball is evident in the way he carries himself just as much as it resonates in his game, something that has endeared him to his veteran teammate, who has a similar approach.

"He's having a great training camp so far," Scola said of Biyombo. "He's giving us the inside presence, blocked shots. [He's] the type of player that we really need. He's also going after every rebound, which is something that coach really wants. I think he's doing a great job and I think he's going to be a huge player for us."

Scola didn't enter the league until he was 27. Remarkably durable, he's missed just nine games in eight seasons with the Rockets, Suns and most recently the Pacers. He's had a solid NBA career but his best work has come on the international stage, where he's starred for Argentina and their golden generation of hoops.

This summer, he qualified for what will be his fourth Olympic Games, averaging 21.1 points and 10.1 rebounds in leading the Argentines to a second-place finish at the FIBA Americas, winning his fourth tournament MVP.

While he's undoubtedly coming to the end of his career, he still has plenty left in the tank. He's never been a player who has relied on quickness or athleticism much, so age hasn't deterred him. He's strong, smart and crafty. He, like Biyombo, knows his role and plays within it.

"I've been playing a certain way for many years," Scola said. "Pretty much between those lines is what I'll do this year. I'm not going to change too much, hopefully not for the worst and most likely not for the better either."

So far it's been a mutually beneficial relationship. His experience, poise and calming influence have been a welcomed addition in camp but, as he'd tell you himself, Biyombo and his youthful teammates are reenergizing Scola going into the new season.

"It's fun," the 35-year-old said. "[I've] had a chance to play with a bunch of young guys. Some of them are very, very young. New team, new coaches. The excitement of a new season, the excitement of a new team. I'm enjoying it."

"I think it's helping me and I think, yes, it can reenergize me. It's kind of like a breath of fresh air. You come in and this gives you a little more motivation, a little bit more enthusiasm going into practice."

"He's a godsend for our team just as far as his experience, he's been there before," Casey said. "We've gone six straight days or whatever and he's still standing. I mean, he's durable. As a staff, we have to make sure we don't wear him out because he's pushing through drills, last man standing. Other guys are bent over at the knees and he's still going hard."

Despite all their holdovers, including Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan, Casey credited Scola and Biyombo as the team's best on-court communicators early in camp. You might expect that from a player of Scola's ilk but, with a 12-year difference in age, Biyombo seems like a less likely vocal leader. However, Casey was not surprised. He, general manager Masai Ujiri and company had done their homework on both players.

Depleted after losing free agent and long-time Raptor Amir Johnson to Boston, the front court was a cause of concern for fans, especially with Carroll and Joseph eating most of the cap space Ujiri had to work with this summer, but the general manager saw value in the two bigs he added at an affordable price.

With Scola and Biyombo on board, Casey has even more flexibility in managing an already versatile roster. While Scola may end up being the more productive forward, the quicker, more defensively-sound Patrick Patterson should claim Johnson's starting job next to Jonas Valanciunas leaving the vet - a gifted low-post scorer - to compliment Biyombo with the second unit.

Although Casey's intention is to give Valanciunas a shot to close more games this season, don't be surprised to see Scola out there with Patterson late in the fourth should the opposition go small, or Biyombo replace the starting centre for defensive purposes should Valanciunas falter.

They may have gone overlooked this summer but they'll be crucial to the Raptors' fortunes over the coming months.