Bulls guard Zach LaVine is buying into the moments over the numbers

It never has been about the numbers for Bulls guard Zach LaVine.

The numbers were arguably there last season, and he still didn’t earn an invitation to the All-Star Game at the United Center.

It’s no longer about the hype, either.

LaVine is in his seventh season. He can’t ride the rookie wave that a player such as Hawks guard Trae Young did last season, putting up huge scoring nights in far too many losses and having his flaws overlooked because he was the fresh face on the block.

No, for LaVine to get the recognition he thinks he has deserved for quite some time, he must deliver in moments of games when making the right play or the wrong play means the difference between winning and losing.

LaVine has started to understand those moments in the last few weeks.

‘‘I think even he’d admit to this: He has worked so hard on his game,’’ coach Billy Donovan said Tuesday of LaVine’s recent transformation. ‘‘Developing step-backs, handling the ball, playing pick-and-roll, driving to the basket — he has worked incredibly hard on all those things. But he knows there’s another piece that he wants to grow into, and I think he has been pretty committed to trying to do that.

‘‘He’s trying to maybe look at things through a different lens or through a different perspective as he continues to grow and get older. . . . And I think he has gotten better at it.’’

Good enough to be an All-Star? That remains to be seen. But his performance Monday against the Knicks was a great example of the steps LaVine is taking to play winning basketball.

Despite Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau throwing all he had defensively at LaVine all night, LaVine had a number of ‘‘hockey assists’’ — assists that led to an assist. More important, however, was that while he scored only 21 points — about six fewer than his average — they were 21 timely points.

Especially the last seven.

LaVine made a step-back 18-footer with 1:26 left to give the Bulls a three-point lead, then delivered the dagger with a three-pointer with 22.8 seconds to play after a communication breakdown left him open at the top of the arc. He then added two free throws with 3.8 seconds left to cap the victory.

After the game, LaVine was excited — not because of his decision-making or scoring but because the Bulls had won. That might not have been the case in previous seasons.

Then again, it’s hard to judge this season against years past, considering LaVine has had a different coach almost every season he has been in the league.

To be playing for a coach and a staff he respects and knows will be around for the long term has been a game-changer.

‘‘I feel like I’ve always gone out there and found a way to make it work or tried my best to, but it’s tough,’’ LaVine said of the frequent changes he has endured. ‘‘Different offenses, different defenses, different plays, different personalities. So once you get comfortable with somebody and start trusting people, getting to know them, you start to see a chemistry. I’ve bought into what Billy and his staff have been telling me, and I’ve created my work.

‘‘I’ve gotten to a place now of, ‘You know you can’t do it by yourself.’ Breaking down film with Billy and his coaching staff, they’ve shown me different things that I’ve appreciated, and guys have bought in.’’