The Chicago Bulls eked out a win in their preseason opener, closing out the Cleveland Cavaliers 116-112 after falling behind by double digits in the first quarter.

The score is the least important takeaway from any preseason game. But Tuesday’s outing showed some things remain the same — like Coby White leading the offense with 21 points and three assists — while 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

LaVine was in the starting lineup, completing his return from season-ending foot surgery in February after he played in only 25 games.

The injury caused obvious discomfort last season for LaVine, limiting his ability to get above the rim, while his shooting percentages dipped close to career lows. But he appeared to be back to his typical comfort level Tuesday as he moved around the court.

There were clear signs of rust: LaVine went 3-for-8 from the field and 1-for-4 behind the 3-point arc. But in a limited 18-minute outing, he appeared fully recovered and ready to resume his starting role.

2. Josh Giddey made his Bulls (preseason) debut

After being limited for the first week of training camp, Giddey made his first appearance in a Bulls jersey, joining LaVine, White, Nikola Vucevic and Patrick Williams in the projected starting lineup for the regular season.

Giddey logged just under 22 minutes, a minimized workload that was expected after the Australian point guard ruptured an ankle ligament in the Paris Olympics. While he struggled with his shot — going 0-for-3 behind the arc, including an air ball — he showed flashes of both his playmaking potential with three assists and his length with seven rebounds.

Williams also was limited as he works his way back from a bone edema in his left foot that shut him down at the end of last season. He played 13 minutes, recording four points, three rebounds and three turnovers.

3. Not quite time for Lonzo Ball

Ball traveled to Cleveland with the team and took some shots in warmups but ultimately didn’t play. Coach Billy Donovan told reporters before the game that Ball will play in the preseason, but the team opted to hold him out Tuesday.

Ball is attempting to return from a knee injury after missing 2½ seasons while undergoing three surgeries. He would be the first U.S. professional athlete to return to a top-level league after a knee cartilage transplant. A separate meniscus transplant deepens the rarity of his recovery path.

Ball has four more opportunities 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 wise. With that being said, it’s hard to muster any confidence in this defense.

Vucevic looked especially unwieldy, biting at the perimeter and giving up easy lanes to the rim. White continued to show improvement on defense, but Giddey and LaVine remain a step behind in rotation.

The Bulls currently plan to prioritize offense in their starting unit and bring their best perimeter defender — Ayo Dosunmu — off the bench. But it’s unclear how long they 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 offense showcased the transitional phase the Bulls are in, it was their performance behind the arc.

Increasing their 3-point shot volume is an obvious focus for this season. The Bulls averaged 32.1 attempts per game last season, the fifth-fewest in the NBA. The previous season they had the league’s lowest 3-point volume.

Players such as Dosunmu and Jalen Smith are expected to help boost that volume this season — something the Bulls accomplished Tuesday, when they finished with 40 3-point attempts. Most promising was their 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, a 20% clip. It’s only the preseason, so any statistics should carry a hefty caveat. But after the Bulls began 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 showed some flash

The first-round draft pick is jostling for a position in the rotation, and he showcased his ability to affect the game on both ends of the court — even as an NBA rookie.

Buzelis exhibited a signature fearlessness while hunting a big one-handed dunk in the second half, which he finally completed in the fourth quarter on an unguarded finish in transition.

Perhaps most importantly, Buzelis looked like one of the Bulls’ best perimeter defensive options — a reflection of both 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 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.