The Thunder have a decision to make about backup point guard Raymond Felton this summer. [PHOTO BY BRYAN TERRY, THE OKLAHOMAN]

Backing up Russell Westbrook's high standard at point guard isn't easy. Four years ago, Raymond Felton would have struggled to do it.

In his first season in Dallas in 2014, Felton went from 30-plus minutes a game to 29 games and frequent DNP's (“Did Not Play”) on the scoresheet. Felton sprained his ankle in preseason, missed a couple of months, and when he returned he'd been leapfrogged in the rotation.

“I wasn't ready to accept not playing,” Felton said. “But I came back the next year, worked my behind off that summer, had a great year. Sometimes you've just got to accept it, roll with it, and just continue to work.”

While Paul George is the priority when July 1 and free agency arrives, Felton fits a key role for the Thunder, as the embodiment of second tier of free agent the team must hit on this summer.