There was a lot of excitement in Indianapolis when it was announced that the Indiana Fever signed Natasha Howard back in February. They signed the three-time WNBA champion out of Florida State as a free agent after she spent the last two seasons with the Dallas Wings.
In the Fever's big 78-74 win over the Seattle Storm on Sunday, Howard joined Tamika Catchings as the only players in franchise history to ever record 20-plus points, five-plus rebounds, five-plus assists and achieve 80 percent in field goal shooting in a single game.
Howard has become one of the Fever's most reliable players making the move to sign her look even better. She got off to a slow start with her new team early on, but has made her presence felt, especially under the basket where she has asserted her dominance since the All-Star break.
During Friday night's game against her former team, Howard brought down 16 rebounds. This area of the game is one that the Fever struggled in during the first half of the season. They would commonly retreat from the offensive end as soon as the shot would go up, no matter who was taking it.
Natasha Howard joins Tamika Catchings as the only Fever players ever to record:
— FeverStats (@FeverStats) August 3, 2025
20+ PTS
5+ REB
5+ AST
80%+ FG pic.twitter.com/rmDJTzV4vJ
One area of her game that makes her so impactful is her ability to drive to the basket and dominate in the paint. The Fever have a strong one-two punch with Howard and Aliyah Boston as rim runners.
READ MORE: Aliyah Boston keeps proving she can carry Fever to postseason with latest performance
Howard is currently averaging 11.6 points per game after shooting 10-of-12 in Sunday's performance. She has become a key element in the Fever's five game winning streak without Caitlin Clark. Howard brings in valuable experience having played ten prior seasons: an element the Fever lacked in during Clark's rookie season.
The Fever have faced several obstacles this season from injuries to movement on the roster from players coming and going. Having previously played for head coach Stephanie White, Howard was the perfect fit to join the new look team. Howard's veteran leadership is crucial in helping develop the Fever's first round pick in the 2025 draft, Makayla Timpson, who also played at Florida State and broke Howard's career double-double record and career rebounds record.
The Fever struggled significantly on the defensive side of the ball which led to Howard emphasizing that a good offensive game comes from a shut down defense. And she would know this after being named the WNBA's Defensive Player of the Year in 2019, which happened to be in-between her two championship seasons with the Seattle Storm.
Howard hopes to keep the momentum going as the Fever continue their west coast trip with two crucial match-ups Tuesday and Thursday night before returning back home to Gainbridge Fieldhouse this weekend.