Natasha Howard

Performance

Natasha Howard grades out as a solid starter at the forward position, delivering the kind of two-way production that anchors a rotation without dominating it. Her 2026 season numbers—16.6 PPG, 7.7 RPG, 3.8 APG on elite 66.0% field-goal efficiency across 9 games—reveal a high-efficiency scorer and playmaker comfortable operating in the mid-post and short roll, her field-goal clip standing out as the sharpest tool in her toolkit at an age (34) when most veterans see those numbers decline. The glaring limitation is her perimeter game: a 0.0% three-point mark confirms she remains a paint-centric player with no spacing value, a meaningful constraint in a modern frontcourt that increasingly demands floor-stretching even from bigs. At nine games played so far, she's shouldering meaningful minutes in what appears to be a Minnesota frontcourt thin on depth, and the early production suggests she's earned that trust—the media coverage of her 22-point performance against Atlanta and key victories aligns with someone operating as a dependable starter rather than a role player. As a 12-year veteran entering her latter years, Howard has transitioned into exactly what the Lynx brought her in to provide: stabilizing frontcourt minutes, efficient scoring, and the kind of steady two-way presence that doesn't make headlines but absorbs tough assignments. If she can stay healthy and maintain that field-goal efficiency, she'll remain a valuable rotation anchor for Minnesota's competitive stretch.

Contract Value Index