The Chicago Bulls eked out a win in their preseason opener against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday, closing off a 116-112 win after giving up a double-digit deficit in the opening quarter.
The score is the least important takeaway from any preseason game. But Tuesday’s outing showed that some things remain the same — like Coby White leading the offense with 21 points and three assists — but there are some early signs of trouble on a somewhat lopsided Bulls roster.
Here are six things we learned from the win.
1. Zach LaVine looks comfortable again.
Zach LaVine was in the Bulls starting lineup on Tuesday, completing his return from a season-ending foot injury after he featured in 25 games.
Last season for LaVine was defined by his clear discomfort on the court, which limited his ability to get above the rim while his shooting dipped close to career lows. But on Tuesday, LaVine appeared to be back to his typical comfort level as he moved around the court.
There were clear signs of rust — LaVine went 3-for-8 from the field and only 1-for-4 from behind the arc. But in a limited 18-minute outing, it appeared that LaVine was fully recovered and ready to resume his role in the Bulls starting lineup.
2. Josh Giddey makes his Bulls (preseason) debut.
After being limited for the first week of training camp, Josh Giddey made his first appearance in a Bulls jersey on Tuesday as he joined the projected starting lineup for the regular season alongside LaVine, White, Nikola Vučević and Patrick Williams.
Giddey logged just under 22 minutes on the court, a minimized workload that was expected after the guard ruptured his anterior talofibular ligament in the Paris Olympics. While the guard struggled with his shot — going 0-for-3 from behind the arc, including an air ball — he showed flashes of his potential as a playmaker with three assists while adding length with seven rebounds.
Williams was also limited in minutes as he works back from a bone edema that shut him down at the end of last season. Williams played 13 minutes, recording four points, three rebounds and three turnovers.
3. Not quite time for Lonzo Ball.
Lonzo Ball traveled to Cleveland with the team and even took some shots in warmups, but ultimately did not make his return to the court in the first game of the preseason. Coach Billy Donovan told reporters ahead of the game that Ball would play in the preseason, but the team opted to hold the guard out on Tuesday.
Ball is attempting to return from a knee injury after missing two entire seasons while undergoing three surgeries. He would be the first professional athlete in the United States to return to a top-level league following a knee cartilage transplant. A separate meniscus transplant also deepens the rarity of his recovery path.
There will be four more opportunities for Ball to make his preseason debut, beginning with Saturday’s home game against the Memphis Grizzlies.
4. Defensive concerns continue to grow.
Judging any aspect of a team — shooting, defensive pressure, turnovers — by a single preseason outing is never a wise decision. With that being said, it’s hard to muster up any confidence in this defense after Tuesday night.
Vučević looked especially unwieldy on defense, biting at the perimeter and giving up easy lanes to the rim. White continued to show improvement in this area of his game, but Giddey and LaVine remain a step behind in rotation.
The Bulls are currently planning to prioritize offense in their starting unit and bring their best perimeter defender — Ayo Dosunmu — off the bench. But it’s unclear how long this team can afford the slow defensive starts that are guaranteed to accompany this rotational decision.
5. Hit or miss (emphasis on the miss) behind the arc.
If any area of the Bulls’ offense showcased the transitional phase they currently occupy, it was their performance from behind the arc.
Increasing shot volume from behind the arc is an obvious focus for the Bulls this season. They averaged 32.1 attempts per game last season, the fifth-lowest number in the league. The year before, they posted the lowest 3-point shot volume in the NBA.
Players from Dosunmu to Jalen Smith are expected to help boost that volume this season — something the Bulls effectively accomplished on Tuesday, where they finished with 40 attempts from 3-point range. Most promising was the team’s 23 attempts in the first half, which featured starters and main rotation players.
But the flip side was the execution. The Bulls made only eight 3-pointers, shooting at a 20% clip from behind the arc. It’s only the preseason, which means any shot percentage should be taken with a hefty caveat. But after the Bulls started last season absolutely ice cold on offense, it’s understandable to cringe at a slow start behind the arc, even in a preseason opener.
6. Matas Buzelis shows some flash.
Rookie Matas Buzelis is currently jostling for a permanent position in the Bulls rotation. On Tuesday, he showcased his ability to affect the game on both ends of the court — even as an NBA rookie. He exhibited a signature fearlessness while hunting a big one-handed dunk in the second half, which he finally completed in the fourth with an unguarded finish in transition.
Perhaps most importantly, Buzelis looked like one of the best perimeter defensive options on this Bulls roster — both a reflection of his dogged persistence and this roster’s lack of seasoned defenders. The rookie stayed glued to Donovan Mitchell in several isolation defensive rotations and swatted away a shot by Darius Garland in the first half.
Buzelis finished with 12 points, five rebounds, three assists, a steal and a block in 21 minutes.
