Natasha Howard and the Indiana Fever were just one win away from making the WNBA Finals last season. Despite injuries to Caitlin Clark, Sophie Cunningham, and others, the Fever upset the Atlanta Dream in the first round and pushed the Las Vegas Aces to overtime in Game 5 of the semifinals when the wheels eventually fell off. Howard was a big part of that success as a steady veteran presence.
Nevertheless, Howard and the Fever parted ways after the season, and the 34-year-old returned to Minnesota, where she won a championship in 2017. Just nine games into the season, there’s no doubt that it was the right move for Howard. While the Fever are struggling, the Lynx are thriving, and Howard is playing incredibly well. Minnesota is a better fit positionally. With the Lynx, Howard can play the five, which seems to be a better fit than the four at this point of her career, but the Fever already have Aliyah Boston at the center spot.
Natasha Howard has been key to the Lynx’s unexpected success
The odds were stacked against the Lynx. Napheesa Collier had surgery on both ankles in the offseason and is still out. Moreover, Alanna Smith and Jessica Shepard left in free agency, Bridget Carleton and Maria Kliundikova were selected in the expansion draft, Dorka Juhasz hasn’t even made her season debut yet due to injury, and Emma Cechova tore her ACL.
But Cheryl Reeve did what Cheryl Reeve does: find overlooked role players, like Nia Coffey, and turn them into key contributors on a winning team, and give underrated stars a chance to shine. The Lynx currently have the best record in the WNBA with 7 wins and just 2 losses. They are the best defense in the league—despite losing the reigning co-DPOY in free agency, playing without the 2024 DPOY, and starting Olivia Miles, who came into the W with serious defensive concerns—and sport the fourth-best offensive rating.
Natasha Howard has been everything Reeve could have asked for with Collier and Juhasz sidelined. She is averaging 16.6 points, 7.7 rebounds, a career-high 3.8 assists, and 1.4 steals as the Lynx’s second-leading scorer and best rebounder. Howard has been an excellent pick-and-roll partner for Miles, regularly feeding off her well-placed passes.
The Lynx’s current starting lineup of Olivia Miles, Courtney Williams, Kayla McBride, Nia Coffey, and Natasha Howard may be undersized—Howard is the tallest player at 6’2”—but it’s a cohesive unit with a great mix of playmaking, rim pressure, outside shooting, strong defense, and paint scoring.
Minnesota will need Howard to put up big numbers even when—or if—Collier can return from her injury this season. Coming back in the middle of the season is not easy, and Collier won’t look like the MVP candidate she has been for the last few seasons.
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