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As the Jazz were putting up what appeared to be a fine effort against planet Earth's best team on Wednesday night, an effort that demonstrated growth and maturity, promise and potential, other than at the free-throw line, where they failed in shocking fashion, familiar questions were bubbling up, questions that in the game's final minutes found no real answers:

Who's the leader on this team? Who will step up and give it the reliable lift it needs in a playoff-like environment, in a game that would have helped the Jazz in a major way in their race for the postseason? Who will grab the thing by the throat and bring victory home? Who?

Anybody?

Nobody, as it turned out.

It would seem that if you're good enough to lead the Warriors by 10 points in the fourth quarter, you might be good enough to win. If you're up three in regulation's final minute, you might be good enough to win. If you're in possession with two fistfuls of seconds left, game tied, you might be good enough to win.

The fact that the Jazz were good enough to win, but didn't, made defeat that much more distasteful.

It was surely a high standard to clear, going up against Golden State, a team that will break the NBA's all-time regular-season win record. No shame in losing. But there was no satisfaction in it, either.

The Jazz were so close to their biggest win of the season, a win to pivot on, to accelerate through, and, instead, were left with just another lesson to learn. They remain an intriguing, emerging club with a bunch of variables mixed into the vagaries of youth. It was a good try, good effort.

But, at the end, the only throat that was grabbed was their own.

"It's just about finishing," Rodney Hood said.

Which brings us back to the L-word: Leadership.

Before the game, I asked a number of Jazz players who their leader is. Their answers differed and depended on circumstances, which probably isn't the most encouraging sign.

"It's pretty much been the same guys all year — Gordon, Book, just because those are the older guys who have been through certain things," Trey Lyles said. "And Derrick, of course."

Said Rudy Gobert: "Everybody tries to bring something positive to this team. I see myself as a leader. Competitiveness, for me, is the main thing. I'm 23, so there are still things I need to learn. As long as you bring something positive, you lead the team in a certain way.

"Gordon and Derrick are the main guys. They've been in the league for six, seven years. Trevor is 45 years old. Rodney is my age. The way he's playing is leading the team, also. Sometimes, his aggressiveness leads the team."

Jeff Withey named Booker and Joe Ingles, because "they're the oldest guys, it's natural to look up to them." He also mentioned Hayward. He correctly pointed out that it's difficult for a relative newcomer like Hood to take the wheel so soon: "As a second-year guy, you're still trying to figure things out. It helps, though, when you're playing like Rodney is. It usually takes some time. But he's definitely coming on."

Lyles said Hood leads "by how he plays," which, of course, is the preferred way.

We're all still guessing, but of the candidates, the ones already in the fold, to possibly wear the mantle, Hood seems the best suited. He's not a talker, but he is talented. He's young, but he's confident. How many players on the Jazz are capable of scoring 30 points in a half, the way Hood did against the Lakers? Who didn't want to see him get more shots, get more opportunity, on Wednesday night?

Favors, who injured his knee and exited against the Warriors after a strong early showing, is terrific, and Hayward, who has improved in so many ways, is asked to carry a heavy load, sometimes beyond his ability to handle it.

While still inconsistent, Hood is the best answer to those aforementioned primary questions. He said he doesn't want to wrestle any kind of crown away from any of his teammates, but he won't shy away from responsibility:

"I try to lead by example, to play hard and be poised through the whole game. My teammates respect me for that. But we've got a lot of guys like that — Derrick, Gordon, Rudy. We've got a lot of guys who hold themselves accountable. We're all young in the league. We lean on each other. We pick each other up. And we're forming into a really good team.

"It's about playing hard. That's how you earn respect. Leadership just comes. It's not something you talk about. It's not something you call for yourself. It just comes by the way you play. You go about business every single day and it just naturally comes to you like that."

It comes quicker by taking and hitting big shots, making big plays in big games.

Jazz assistant Alex Jensen said the coaching staff is waiting and watching for who steps up: "It's still forming who that guy is or who those guys are going to be. Will it be Gordon or Derrick or Rodney or Rudy? It's still up in the air."

The sooner it lands, the sooner the Jazz will be what they aspire to be.

GORDON MONSON hosts "The Big Show" with Spence Checketts weekdays from 3-7 p.m. on 97.5 FM and 1280 AM The Zone. Twitter: @GordonMonson.