One viewing would've been enough for Quincy Douby.

Because the shot didn't go in, of course.

If the 20-footer from the left elbow had found net, the Kings guard may have watched the replay and ensuing Arco Arena bedlam up until practice time Saturday. As it was, the shot taken at the end of regulation fell short. The Phoenix Suns won in overtime. And Douby, who did his media duty with a hung head afterward, couldn't help but watch the sequence time and again in his mind's eye.

"I was playing it over in my head," he said. "I didn't want to watch it (on tape), because all you're going to do is critique. I wasn't trying to watch it. I was thinking about it, though. I was at my house, and my girl(friend) was trying to get my mind off it and telling me to get ready for the next game."

On a day in which votes of confidence were in short supply for Kings coach Reggie Theus, he gave one to Douby simply by putting him in the situation. This was a scripted highlight moment for the third-year guard, a potential game winner that could have served as a much-needed step forward after the recent setback of a right ankle injury.

This was also 19 minutes, significant floor time that came when Theus opted for Douby's youth over the aged abilities of Bobby Jackson. The veteran sat with ice on his knees, having sat for "a quarter and a half," as Theus said, leading up to that play. And Douby, as he often does, sat as a tantalizing Plan B.

When the shot fell short, Kings assistant Randy Brown could be seen talking to himself. "He hits that every day in practice," he said.

If Douby wasn't being Douby in practice, there would be no light at the end of this tunnel. But he has been for some time and remains so, hitting runners and floaters and threes and finding new and innovative ways to put the ball in the hole. He has focused on defense as well, using his long arms to tally two blocks against the Suns and knowing full well he'll never play if he doesn't play both ends.

And while his future is uncertain (the team declined the option for his 2009-10 season last month, and he will become a free agent this summer), the necessary steps for his success have been taken this season as they weren't in the last.

There is no longer a focus on him playing point guard, as the arrival of Bobby Jackson and Bobby Brown alleviated the pure scorer of that assignment (in an ironic sidenote, Douby remains very interested in improving at the point). There is also an absence of major expectations, with every Douby breakout considered a pleasant surprise by most fans as opposed to a starting sign of the greatness to come.

Still, Douby has clearly been walking around without his rabbit's foot. Nearly every time he has found progress – from the most recent summer league to training camp in which his play mostly impressed – he has suffered injuries. He is still wearing a brace on his right ankle, the byproduct of the latest ailment that his conditioning is behind.

"The ankle's better," said Douby, who has hit 14 of 39 shots (35.9 percent) this season while averaging 14.6 minutes in six games. "You've got to be positive in this situation. … I'm not letting that bother me or keep me down."

The challenge for Douby now becomes one of patience. His next chance could come tonight against San Antonio. Or he could spend the evening waving rally towels with rookie forward Donté Greene.

"The hard thing is that there are no sustained minutes in that spot," Theus said. "He might play today. He might not play tomorrow. He's just got to be ready.

"I've got great confidence in his offense. I've got great confidence in his ability to get to the rack and make things happen. He was playing really (well) before that happened. It's just going to take some time.

"And it's going to take a little bit of extra effort on his part to get himself back where he was. He's got to be strong mentally, because his minutes are not going to be guaranteed."

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