Then on Dec. 10 in Milwaukee, things changed. Sexton encountered his latest first-year challenge in a season filled with them.
ATLANTA -- Collin Sexton was beginning to blossom. He had just reached double figures in scoring in his 18th straight game, accomplishing a feat that not even the great Kyrie Irving did during his rookie season with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Then on Dec. 10 in Milwaukee, things changed. Sexton encountered his latest first-year challenge in a season filled with them.
Tristan Thompson hobbled off the floor with a sprained foot, which has kept him out for the last 10 games. It's not a coincidence that Thompson's absence has coincided with Sexton's slide.
"It's been different," Sexton admitted following Saturday's 111-108 loss to the Atlanta Hawks. "I mean Tristan, we have like pick and roll running it down to a T. It's been different. I know Tristan rolls and I throw the alley oop or the bounce pass and he shoots it left handed, stuff like that. Just trying to get used to playing with Channing (Frye) at the 5 and also Larry (Nance Jr.)."
The pick and roll is all about chemistry. It's built over time, with countless reps both in games and on the practice floor -- a place where the Cavs haven't been much during this grueling stretch that has including two separate three-games-in-four-nights road trips.
In the 10 games without Thompson, Sexton is averaging 12.4 points on 35.9 percent from the field and 14.3 percent from 3-point range to go with 2.9 assists.
On Saturday night, during Sexton's homecoming game in Atlanta, playing there for the first time since high school, he scored 18 points. It was the second-highest tally since Thompson's injury -- the first positive sign in quite some time.
Asked recently about the correlation between Sexton's struggles and Thompson's absence, Drew couldn't really point to one thing specifically.
"Good question. I don't know," Drew said. "I will say through the course of an NBA season, you're going to hit a bump in the road at some point. I think all players go through that. Rookies, veterans, they all experience that in an NBA season. It's just too long. There's going to be a point where you are going to hit a little snag. I don't know if Tristan's absence has anything to do with Collin or any of our other guys."
There are plenty of logical explanations for Sexton's drop in production.
It's possible he has slammed into the rookie wall. Sexton played in his 37th game Saturday night, four more than when he was a freshman at Alabama. He's already surpassed his minute load from last season and the Cavs have had to talk to him privately about not spending so much time in the gym so he can make sure his body gets rest and recovery time.
Defenses have certainly adjusted to him, picking up tendencies on film and trying to exploit weaknesses. Atlanta even sprung a few traps against Sexton, which is a new tactic to force the ball out of his hands. Sexton looked caught off guard. He retreated toward center court before getting pushed up against the sideline.
It's also notable that over the last 10 games, seven have been against opponents ranked in the top 10 in defensive efficiency.
Calling it a shooting slump is as good an explanation of any. No player is immune. It was going to happen eventually. At 19 years old, Sexton wasn't going to keep piling up 20-point performances and shooting better than 50 percent from the field while canning multiple 3-pointers.
Here's another explanation: The Cavs have been forced into a position they never wanted, putting too much on Sexton's shoulders too soon.
The expectations were high to begin with, as Sexton was taken in the top 10 and turned out to be the centerpiece of the Kyrie Irving trade. That pressure only increased when Kevin Love went down four games into the season and non-stop injuries have followed. As a result, Sexton's role has changed, the ball is in his hands more and his usage has reached an uncomfortable level, one the Cavs didn't foresee at the start of the season.
To his credit, Sexton has taken it all in stride.
"Growing up I had a lot of pressure on me, so I just gotta keep it going," he said. "I feel like from back in the day to now I've been prepared for this stage. I feel like stuff that happened to me in the past helped me get to where I am today."
But everything seems to be catching up with him lately. And it's been tough to adjust to changing lineups and different bigs each night, especially given how much better Sexton has been when sharing the court with Thompson.
According to NBA.com stats, the Nance-Sexton tandem has logged 650 minutes. The Cavs' offensive rating is a pedestrian 100.2 and the defensive rating is a lousy 114.7. That's a net rating of -14.5.
This isn't a knock against Nance. He simply brings a different skill set than Thompson and he's asked to do different things within the offense. There's also a level of comfort Sexton seems to have with Thompson's rolling more so than with Nance's popping and playmaking and the space it can create.
The individual numbers point to Sexton being a better fit alongside Thompson as well.
With Thompson on the court, Sexton is averaging 10.5 points on 45.5 percent from the field and 45.7 percent from beyond the arc in 19.9 minutes.
With Thompson off the floor, Sexton is averaging 7.6 points on 39.4 percent from the field and 27.0 percent from beyond the arc in 16.1 minutes.
Some of it is happenstance, of course, just like so many other numbers. But there's a clear difference in shot percentage by distance in those on/off metrics as well.
I pulled out the numbers for Thompson, who isn't always keen on analytics. We discussed them at length in the locker room at State Farm Arena before he got on the second bus. I asked him if he had any explanation for Sexton's recent dip in production.
"Look up my screen assists throughout my career," Thompson said with a smile. "That will give you your answer."
Thompson said he tries to screen in a way to give Sexton a clear line of sight. Thompson has learned over time where Sexton wants to go, where the screens need to be set and how to carve out an extra sliver of space that can make the difference between a contested and uncontested jumper.
Things can be fuzzy for 19-year-olds, especially with complex defenses designed to force them to hesitate, overthink and question their own reads. Thompson, one of the league's best screen-setters, is currently tied with Utah's massive center Rudy Gobert in screen assists per game, averaging 5.7. Thompson has 153 total screen assists despite missing nearly three weeks.
That's all the evidence anyone needs to recognize the impact.
Sexton gets cleaner looks when Thompson is out there. Defenders can't get around him, they have to honor his rolling to the basket and need to keep bodies attached so he can't pulverize opponents on the offensive glass. Beyond everything else he brings, that's the skill the Cavs have missed most.
"I will be back soon," Thompson said. "Help the young fella out again. Get that chemistry back."
Saturday night marked the final game of 2018 for the Cavs. They won't play again until Wednesday, opening a four-game homestand against the Miami Heat, the team that most recently put the clamps on Sexton.
That means his first season is nearly half-over. The numbers aren't pretty. A chart floating around on Twitter depicting how rookies have fared in Total Points Added, combining offensive and defensive impact, isn't favorable to Cleveland's youngster. Other numbers, such as ESPN's Real Plus-Minus, are ugly as well.
Sexton ranks last among point guards, more than two full points worse than Atlanta rookie Trae Young, who is also looked at unfavorably.
The RPM stat is a player's estimated on-court impact on team performance, measured in net point differential per 100 offensive and defensive possessions. It takes into account teammates, opponents and other additional factors. Sexton is No. 464. Again, dead last.
It's still too early to make any sweeping conclusions. Just a few weeks ago, it appeared Sexton had pushed himself into the Rookie-of-the-Year conversation and shown major strides. Then came his troublesome three-week stretch that has included three single-digit scoring games, one better-than-50-percent-shooting night and a bunch of pick-me-up words from Dwyane Wade, who is a CAA client like Sexton, and Mike Conley.
"I feel like it's going alright," Sexton said of his rookie season. "I just gotta continue to learn. First season, so I gotta learn faster. I'm playing a lot so I learn on the fly, and just make sure I don't get down on myself. I always stay uplifted and just continue to be me."
That's been much easier for Sexton when Thompson is out there with him.
