Luis “Vidal Sassoon” Scola was brought to Toronto as an insurance policy and little more. At 35 years old he was supposed to provide a veteran presence in the frontcourt, and to help guide the younger Raptors big men.
He was never supposed to be a key contributor. The majority of engaged Raptors’ fans spent the summer actively searching for a more accomplished full time starting power forward to join the Raptors. The goal within these dreams was to have a starting caliber power forward (the most common name circled by fans at the time was Markieff Morris, due in large part to his summer trade demands which have since faded), with Patrick Paterson coming off the bench and Luis Scola available for emergencies.
I never would have bet that Scola would be a central figure to the Raptors starting line-up, and anyone who did I worry about some their compulsive gambling habits.
And yet, here we are.
Through 18 games, Luis Scola is averaging 23.6 minutes, the highest number for him since 2012-13. Within these minutes he has put up some eye popping (for him) numbers, and has helped add new dimensions to the Raptors as a whole.
All of this after the starting power forward spot was supposed to be Patrick Patterson’s to lose.
Look at their advanced numbers to start the season:
| Player | Age | G | MP | PER | TS% | 3PAr | FTr | TRB% | AST% | STL% | BLK% | TOV% | USG% | WS/48 | VORP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patrick Patterson | 26 | 18 | 370 | 9.5 | .492 | .644 | .038 | 10.7 | 6.9 | 1.6 | 0.7 | 15.2 | 15.0 | .054 | 0.1 |
| Luis Scola | 35 | 18 | 424 | 16.1 | .543 | .173 | .105 | 14.5 | 6.4 | 1.3 | 0.8 | 9.6 | 19.6 | .135 | 0.2 |
Scola has Patterson beat almost across the board, which is a combination of Scola’s excellent play and Patterson’s inconsistency to date (man…his confidence level is depressing to watch).
The greatest surprise in this mix has been Scola’s shot selection.
More specifically, no one saw this three point shooting coming from Luis, which was the greatest argument to start Patterson over Scola in the first place.
Whoever started at power forward would be joining a starting line-up in desperate need of some additional floor spacing. DeMar DeRozan has continued to torment fans with the ever consistent promise of developing a shot from long distance, only to return each summer without the added weapon, while Valanciunas is…well…he’s Valanciunas.
Kyle Lowry and DeMarre Carroll need an additional long distance option for better balance on offense, hence Patterson, and Valanciunas needs a power forward who won’t always clog the paint but can help draw a defender to the perimeter.
But Scola is having a career year when it comes to shooting the three. Before this season his career high in terms of three point percentage was just .250, and this was accomplished on just 20 attempts. That’s 20 attempts all season.
This season sees him shooting an astounding 50 percent from long range. In fact, through 18 games Scola has already drained more three pointers (14) than he has in his entire career to date (10); and if he maintains he current rate of attempts, Scola will exceed his career attempts by roughly game 34.
All of this is certainly not meant to say that he is the perfect fit. He and Valanciunas are far from an idea frontcourt pairing due to their slow individual and combined foot speed, as their pairing can often leave the Raptors exposed to perimeter oriented big men.
But he was never intended to be the perfect fit. He has already far exceeded everything that could be expected from him, and currently has his highest win shares per 48 minutes (.135) since his second year in the league (2008-09).
I wasn’t expecting to enjoy the Luis Scola era in Toronto. Coming into the season I was actually anticipating him being flipped before the trade deadline. Although this could still happen, there would now be a part of me that would initially be disappointed at Scola’s departure. He has been a key contributor to an 11-7 record through a rather challenging start to the season.
We’re lucky to have Luis Scola, and even saying this still gives me pause for concern. There is a big part of me that wonders whether this success can be sustainable, whether Scola can continue to shoot the three like he has been, if his body will hold up (lots of miles between the NBA and National Team commitments), and if the Raptors can continue to win with a makeshift frontcourt.
For now though, I’m trying to decide to hold back criticism until the time comes. I’m simply going to enjoy every little play that Scola makes, the intelligence he often displays in the simplest of actions, and his glorious head of hair.
The Luis Scola experience has been fun, which is enough for the moment at hand.
