McGraw: What we learned from the Bulls' preseason

The good

Defensive steps: When training camp began, general manager Gar Forman and coach Vinny Del Negro promised that defense would be a top priority this season.

The Bulls didn't face the most rugged preseason schedule, but they did manage to hold opponents to 91.9 points per game and a field-goal percentage of .403. It's a start.

The rise of Taj: No. 26 draft picks come with built-in low expectations, but 6-foot-9 forward Taj Gibson was consistently solid. He averaged 12.4 points (fifth-best among rookies in preseason), 5.8 rebounds (third-best among rookies) and shot 55 percent from the field (fourth).

The bad

Missing the point: Derrick Rose should be ready to play in Thursday's season opener against San Antonio, but the Bulls haven't had their best player on the floor full-time since he injured his right ankle on Oct. 2 at Indiana.

Getting Rose back in the lineup will be a bonus, but might take some adjustment.

"We have a lot of continuity that still needs to be built on both ends of the court," Del Negro said. "That's only going to come when we get our whole group together."

Deng needs time: Of the Bulls' top nine scorers during preseason, all but two shot at least 44 percent from the field. One who didn't was Luol Deng, who averaged 10.8 points and made 38 percent of his field-goal attempts.