Fever can’t afford to keep ignoring what this vet brings to the table

The Indiana Fever have built a roster that has the tools to succeed at the highest level. Aliyah Boston, Caitlin Clark, and Kelsey Mitchell may steal the headlines, but Indiana's roster has the all-around talent to compete with the top-tier teams.

In order to make the leap and truly contend, however, the Fever must empower their supporting cast to be the best versions of themselves—and that starts with Natasha Howard.

Howard has hit the ground running during her second stint with Indiana. She's currently averaging 11.9 points, 6.4 rebounds, 1.8 offensive boards, and 1.0 steal per game while shooting 52.8 percent from the field.

With this in mind, it's easy to believe that Howard has been given a fitting role that highlights and accentuates her strengths.

The last remaining hurdle for the Fever to properly incorporate Howard into their system, however, will be figuring out how to feature one of her underrated strengths. She's excelling as a scorer, even during an uncharacteristically poor stretch at the free throw line, but her playmaking has been underutilized.

As the Fever attempt to strike a balance between their seemingly endless list of capable playmakers, Howard could very well be the missing piece.

Natasha Howard needs more reps in a playmaking role

Howard is currently averaging a mere 0.9 assists per game. That's on pace to be her lowest average since 2017, as well as a sharp decline from the level of production that she's managed in that area over the past three seasons.

Howard has averaged no less than 2.3 assists per game since 2022, including the 2.9 that she posted just one season ago.

Unfortunately, a season after posting five-plus assists in six different games, Howard has yet to distribute more than two a single time in 2025. That's an alarming trend considering Indiana has the personnel to run a balanced offense that can attack from every angle.

Empowering Howard to operate in a playmaking capacity could be the key to unlocking Indiana's otherworldly offensive potential.

Diversifying the offense with sets that force all five defenders to be aware of what's happening behind them is a proven way to run an elite offense. It's also a great opportunity for Indiana to make it even more difficult to double team Clark.

Unfortunately, Howard has thus far been featured in less of a playmaking role than her abilities perhaps suggest she should be.

Howard has certainly excelled in other areas of the game. She posted a double-double against the Atlanta Dream, dropped 26 points in the previous meeting with Atlanta, and has been a reliable source of second chances throughout the season.

If the Fever are hoping to elevate their offense, however, then finding a way to get Howard involved as a playmaker will be essential.