CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Matthew Dellavedova knows exactly why he's with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

"My job is to come in and help run the second unit and make sure the second unit is playing well, but also help Collin (Sexton) as much as I can and just try to help him grow as much as I can," Dellavedova told cleveland.com Wednesday night following the Cavs' 117-92 loss against the Miami Heat. "It's a great opportunity to continue working on my leadership. It's been great so far."

The Cavs knew Dellavedova would test Sexton in practice, push him the way Dellavedova used to with Kyrie Irving. Those sessions made Irving and Dellavedova better players. The stories are legendary, with teammates having to intervene at times.

There haven't been any of those heated moments between Dellavedova and Sexton, two extremely competitive players that were eager for those behind-the-scenes matchups. Heck, the Cavs have barely practiced because of the recent compact schedule. But Dellavedova has still found plenty of other ways to help groom Cleveland's building block, including film sessions on off days and teaching moments during timeouts.

The topic of many of those chats: How to make Sexton more of a complete point guard.

"That's probably the next step," Dellavedova told cleveland.com. "I think just finding ways to get other guys involved. Whether that's through a play call or something like that or say if we score on a play then him recognizing to run the same play again or you know, hit the next option. Just trying to get him to I guess manipulate the game a little bit."

Sexton entered the night ranked last among starting point guards in assists, averaging 2.7. In his lone year in college, Alabama needed him to be a scorer, so he finished his career with just 3.6 assists per night.

It's clearly an area where he needs to grow, especially considering he ranks second on the team in usage.

"I feel like I've improved tremendously, especially with my passing," Sexton said. "I've been making right reads and seeing them actually. That just comes from watching film. Delly, we watch film together and he's been helping me a whole lot with that."

Dellavedova said he is constantly in Sexton's ear, talking to him while trying to relay tactics and strategies. The two often discuss how to best attack the pick and roll, what Sexton should do when opponents continue to go under screens and the importance of moving onto the next option when the first isn't available.

Sexton typically plays with an attack mentality. That's why Dellavedova has also been trying to help Sexton with the usefulness of changing speeds.

Before practice, the two are together. During practice and after they are as well.

"I've played a lot of games so I feel like I've seen a lot of defenses," Dellavedova said. "He's got a different skill set to me in that he's really quick and explosive, but I've been around guards that have been that so I know some things that are effective that he can try to use so just try to give him some different things like that."

On Wednesday night, Sexton was taking another positive step before a stumble. He dished out four assists in the first quarter -- at the center of Cleveland's quick start. Sexton was scoreless early, missing both of his shots. And yet, he still made an impact, creating opportunities for his teammates.

It's the same way the rookie played in the fourth quarter against Memphis and the most recent matchup against Atlanta -- two games Dellavedova believed Sexton was at his best in controlling the game and running the offense.

Sometimes that can be a challenge for rookies. That's why head coach Larry Drew has preached patience with Sexton. It's why Drew often provides reassurances even when Sexton accomplishes the smallest of feats.

Dellavedova remembers the early challenges of life in the NBA. Players were bigger, more developed physically. He was seeing complex defenses for the first time. It's all stuff Sexton has discussed in recent weeks.

"I mean, every night you are playing against the best so I think that's the toughest part," Dellavedova said. "You're playing against the best in the world and he's got a lot of responsibility, but he has to look at it as a great opportunity to learn as much as he can and I think he's doing a good job. He works really hard. He watches game tape. He listens. I think he's got a great chance to continue to grow and get better."

Sexton's latest lesson came in the final three quarters against Miami. Following a quick start, Sexton failed to record an assist in the remaining 42 minutes. Part of that was Cleveland's inability to make shots. The other part of it was Miami's troublesome zone defense that completely wrecked the Cavs for the second time in a week.

Sexton, who has at least three assists in each of the last seven games and is averaging 4.0 over that stretch, deserves some blame as well. He finished with 12 points and shot another poor percentage -- the 10th consecutive game he's been below 50 percent. But as Drew has said repeatedly, those numbers don't define Sexton's night. It's the little nuances that the Cavs are focused on.

"I thought the second half, I thought he was in more of an attack mentality," Drew said. "Nothing wrong with that. The only problem with that is you have to make good decisions out of that. A few times he was trying to get to the rim and trying to finish over the big guys that weren't very smart decisions. He's going to have games where things are going well and then he hits a bump in the road and he has to learn how to pull himself out of those types of situations.

"He understands he has a ways to go. These last couple of ball games he has shown terrific signs. I told him that. He's starting to make other people better. That is the true essence of a good point guard."