We are 10 games into the Jamahl Mosley era after Sunday’s 139-123 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers.

The Pelicans dropped to 4-6 after that loss. Mosley described his team’s defensive effort against the Clippers as “unacceptable.”

“There are going to be nights in the NBA where you get hit in the mouth and tonight was one of those nights,” Mosley said.

Here are five things we have learned about the Pelicans through Mosley’s first 10 games. This doesn’t include Monday’s late game when the short-handed Pelicans (no Zion Williamson or Trey Murphy) played on the road at the Golden State Warriors.

Closing games

The Pelicans very well could have been 6-4. Or even 7-3. But in their first three losses to the Indiana Pacers, Utah Jazz and Denver Nuggets, they were unable to finish games. As was often the case the past two seasons, they unraveled late.

While their opponents had go-to players make a key basket down the stretch, the Pelicans haven’t quite figured out who theirs is. The best teams know who their closer is and that’s something the Pels need to determine if they want to win these type of games.

Second-year forward Derik Queen has a solution that seems to make sense.

“Me personally, the ball should either go to (Saddiq Bey) or (Zion) every play,” Queen said. “First. Second. Third. Fourth. Fifth. Ball should go to them every play."

The Herb factor

Defense wins games, and nobody on the team is better at it than Herb Jones. Through the first 10 games, the four wins came in the games Jones started. The six losses were in games he came off the bench.

The Pelicans haven’t been as consistent in the minutes when Dejounte Murray and Jeremiah Fears shared the court. Starting Jones and bringing either Fears or Murray off of the bench should be something Mosley looks into if the trend continues.

Deep team

Two words Mosley has said often this season are “by committee.” He knows that on any given night, it could be anyone on the roster making an impact. It’s one of the reasons the Pelicans will find themselves in almost every game.

Their second unit is one of the better ones in the league. Even if the starters fall behind, the bench is good enough to get the Pels right back in it. Saddiq Bey, who comes off the bench and is the team’s second-leading scorer, could start for most NBA teams. Queen has shown he can take over games in spurts, like he did in last week’s win against the Utah Jazz. Former LSU standout Trendon Watford also has emerged as a player who can do some of the dirty work. Karlo Matkovic, inserted into the starting lineup after Yves Missi’s knee injury, also has been a pleasant surprise.

The new Zion

After seeing all of the work Zion Williamson put in during the offseason, it’s good to see that translate into games.

It’s no surprise he’s the team’s leading scorer. What may come as a surprise is he’s also one of the league’s leaders in steals. His 2.2 steals per game rank sixth in the NBA. He’s one of just five players averaging more than two steals while also averaging more than 20 points per game. The others are Paul George, Scottie Barnes, Cooper Flagg and Nikola Jokic.

Williamson missed his first game Monday night due to rest on the second night of a back-to-back. But he played in the team’s first two back-to-backs and looks like he could surpass the 62 games he played last season.

Defensive minded?

Mosley was brought here to bring toughness and defense. The Pelicans' defensive rating was 11th this time a week ago. It has since dropped to 23rd. Games like Sunday’s when the Clippers just had their way with the Pelicans don't help. They allowed 30-plus points in each of the last three quarters. Good defensive teams don't do that.

The 52.5 rebounds per game ranks 21st in the NBA. Rebounding was a concern coming into the season and became even more difficult with Missi’s absence. On the other hand, the Pels (11.2 steals per game) are second in the league behind only the Toronto Raptors (11.6) in that category. They had a season-high 18 steals in a win over the Sacramento Kings and a season-low six against the Clippers.

“We’ve got to figure out that the mark of a good team and a together team is how you bounce back after night’s like tonight,” Mosley said after Sunday’s loss.

The Pelicans are on pace for 32 wins. That won’t be enough to make the playoffs, but the season is still very young. Ten games in and it's clear there is plenty work to do. 

Stay tuned.