Fever signed the worst fit next to Caitlin Clark this offseason

The Indiana Fever signed Natasha Howard this summer, but the fit next to Caitlin Clark is less than ideal. Clark wants the Fever to play fast, up-tempo basketball, and not only does Howard not suit that style of play, but she’s also not a great floor-spacer, which dampens the fit even further.

In fact, after the Fever’s recent win over the New York Liberty, Clark pinpointed the exact style she wants the Fever to play. "I thought we played a good game," Clark said via ESPN. "Thought there was a lot we could still improve on, which is positive for us, but that's how the Fever are supposed to play basketball. Up-tempo, unselfish, working for your teammates. So really proud of our group."

While adding a talent like Howard was smart, it’s not working out as well as the Fever may have hoped.

What’s wrong with Natasha Howard?

Nothing. She’s a great player in her own right, having been named to two All-Star teams, two All-WNBA teams, and two All-Defensive teams. Howard has even won three WNBA Championships. But next to Clark, who is the clear-cut franchise centerpiece in Indiana, she’s not the best fit.

With now 12 years of WNBA experience under her belt, Howard has seen it all. And for the past seven years of her career, she’s been a staple in the starting lineup of every team she’s been on—the Seattle Storm, Liberty, and Dallas Wings.

She’s been starting for the Fever this year, too, but her minutes are slowly tapering off. Through the first three games of the season, Howard averaged 29.2 minutes per contest. In the Fever’s last seven games, she’s played just 21.4 minutes.

In her two years with the Wings prior to joining the Fever, Howard averaged 32.0 minutes per game, so she’s seen a steep drop-off in playing time this season.

What should the Fever want next to Caitlin Clark?

The easy answer is also probably the best one—shooting, defense, and pace. Players who can shoot the ball to space the floor for Clark, defend well to help cover for her small stature on that side of the ball, and run the floor to make the most of her passing capabilities are the best options for the Fever to target.

Outside of her defense, Howard is an imperfect fit.

Though she’s a solid defender, having earned plenty of honors for her play on that side of the ball, her offense isn’t exactly what the Fever should be looking for.

Howard isn’t a great three-point shooter, evidenced by her 25.0% shooting on 0.8 attempts per game this season, and has begun to get usurped in the rotation as the Fever experiment with some more small-ball lineups.

The Fever forward is a quality player, but her fit with the current roster just isn’t great.