Natasha Howard (basketball)

Natasha Howard (born September 2, 1991) is an American professional basketball player for the Seattle Storm of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). Howard was the 2019 WNBA Defensive Player of the Year.[1] She was drafted in 2014 by the Indiana Fever.[2][3] Born in Toledo, Ohio, she played college basketball for Florida State University, where she finished sixth in the NCAA for field goal percentage.[4]

Natasha Howard
Howard in 2019
No. 6 – Seattle Storm
PositionPower forward
LeagueWNBA
Personal information
Born (1991-09-02) September 2, 1991
Toledo, Ohio
NationalityAmerican
Listed height6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Listed weight165 lb (75 kg)
Career information
High schoolWaite (Toledo, Ohio)
CollegeFlorida State (2010–2014)
WNBA draft2014 / Round: 1 / Pick: 5th overall
Selected by the Indiana Fever
Playing career2014–present
Career history
2014–2015Indiana Fever
2014–2015Elitzur Ramla
2015–2016Yakin Dogu
2016–2017Minnesota Lynx
2016–2017Samsung Life Blue Minx
2018–presentSeattle Storm
2018–2019Xinjiang Magic Deer
2019Dynamo Kursk
Career highlights and awards
Stats at WNBA.com

Florida State statistics

Source[5]

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high
Year Team GP Points FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2010-11 Florida State 32 339 46.0 36.8 54.9 6.6 0.8 1.1 0.7 10.6
2011-12 Florida State 31 379 48.7 19.0 61.5 9.1 1.4 1.5 1.3 12.2
2012-13 Florida State 33 418 48.6 - 61.2 7.5 0.7 1.8 1.5 12.7
2013-14 Florida State 33 675 59.4 - 65.0 9.3 0.5 2.1 2.3 20.5
Career Florida State 129 1811 51.6 31.3 61.7 8.1 0.9 1.6 1.4 14.0

WNBA career
Howard in 2016

Howard was selected 5th overall by the Indiana Fever in the 2014 WNBA Draft. Howard started off the 2014 season hot scoring 16 points and 21 points in her first two games as a professional. The 21 point performance was a career high in points. After her rookie season in Indiana, Howard averaged 7.0 points and 3.1 rebounds.

During her second season with Indiana, Howard regressed in both points and rebounding, averaging 4.2 points and 2.6 rebounds. The only times that Howard scored in double figures were an August 4 loss to the Chicago Sky, when she scored 13 points, and on a September 1 win against the Connecticut Sun, when she scored 10 points. During her second season, the Fever reached the WNBA Finals, where they faced off against the Minnesota Lynx. The Fever ultimately lost the series 3-2, but Howard didn't miss a single shot throughout the entire Finals, going 8 for 8 from the floor in five games.

On February 2, 2016, the Fever traded Howard to the Minnesota Lynx in a sign-and-trade deal to acquire Devereaux Peters.[6]

During her first season with the Lynx, Howard was part of the post rotation that included Sylvia Fowles, Rebekkah Brunson, and Janel McCarville. She became a key contributor off the bench for the Lynx the entire season. In her first game against Indiana since the trade, Howard scored 11 points, on 5-5 shooting, and grabbed 3 rebounds. She matched her career high of 21 points in a July 2 win against the San Antonio Stars. Howard, once again, reached the WNBA Finals for the 2nd consecutive season, although she fell short once again falling to the Los Angeles Sparks 3-2.

In her second season with the Lynx, Howard continued with her bench role, contributing with her scoring and rebounding, helping the Lynx back to championship contention. The Lynx made it back to the Finals, making it Howard's third appearance in the finals. This time in a finals rematch against the Sparks, the Lynx won in five games, earning Howard her first championship.

On February 7, 2018, Howard was traded to the Seattle Storm in exchange for a second round pick in the 2018 WNBA Draft.[7] In the 2018 season, Howard would be the starting power forward for the Storm. She would have the best season of her career in Seattle as she averaged career-highs in scoring, blocks, rebounds, assists and steals. Howard would also be named to the WNBA All-Defensive First Team and was second in the league in blocks. The Storm finished with a league-best 26-8 record. They would receive a double-bye to the semi-finals. In the semi-finals series, the Storm would defeat the Phoenix Mercury in five games advancing to the Finals, making this Howard's fourth consecutive finals appearance. In the Finals, the Storm would defeat the Washington Mystics in a three-game sweep. In Game 3, Howard scored a new career-high 29 points along with 14 rebounds.[8]

In 2019, Howard would have a breakout season. She would be voted into the 2019 WNBA All-Star Game, making it her first all-star appearance. On July 17, 2019, Howard scored a new career-high 33 points in a 90-79 victory over the Minnesota Lynx.[9] Howard would finish the season average a new career-high in scoring, rebounds, assists and steals. She was made a WNBA All-Star and named to the WNBA All-Defensive First Team for the second time while also winning the WNBA Defensive Player of the Year Award. The Storm finished as the number 6 seed with an 18-16 record. The Storm however were unable to defend their title in the playoffs as they were eliminated in the second round elimination game by the Los Angeles Sparks.

WNBA Career Statistics
Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game  RPG  Rebounds per game
 APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game  BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game
 TO  Turnovers per game  FG%  Field-goal percentage  3P%  3-point field-goal percentage  FT%  Free-throw percentage
 Bold  Career high ° League leader
† Denotes seasons in which Howard won a WNBA championship

Regular season
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG TO PPG
2014 Indiana 341517.0.443.000.5943.10.60.80.61.57.0
2015 Indiana 30211.4.379.000.7212.60.40.40.40.94.2
2016 Minnesota 34114.6.574.200.6773.60.80.70.71.16.7
2017† Minnesota 34011.7.484.214.7332.40.70.50.60.74.3
2018† Seattle 343325.6.547.327.7986.41.01.21.91.813.2
2019 Seattle 343431.3.439.308.8108.22.12.11.72.918.1
Career 6 years, 3 teams 2008518.7.477.298.7454.41.01.01.01.59.0

Postseason
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG TO PPG
2014 Indiana 403.7.167.0001.0001.00.00.00.00.51.0
2015 Indiana 907.1.917.0001.0000.60.30.30.10.52.8
2016 Minnesota 8013.0.700.000.4292.60.60.80.10.75.6
2017† Minnesota 705.6.200.000.8000.90.00.20.00.51.1
2018† Seattle 8831.5.573.500.8508.31.51.01.32.215.8
2019 Seattle 2228.8.400.429.7509.04.02.01.52.011.0
Career 6 years, 3 teams 381014.0.563.455.7803.20.70.60.41.06.1

References
  1. "Seattle's Natasha Howard Named 2019 WNBA Defensive Player Of The Year" (Press release). WNBA. September 11, 2019. Retrieved September 11, 2019.
  2. "NBA.com". Retrieved 2017-09-09.
  3. Schoffel, Ira (2014-04-14). "Being WNBA's 5th pick is 'dream come true' for FSU star Howard". Tallahassee Democrat. Tallahassee.com. Retrieved 2014-04-22.
  4. Woodsdavid, David (2014-04-15). "Fever choose Natasha Howard, Natalie Achonwa in draft". The Indianapolis Star. Indystar.com. Retrieved 2014-04-22.
  5. "NCAA® Career Statistics". web1.ncaa.org. Retrieved 2016-05-03.
  6. "Fever, Lynx Trade Natasha Howard, Devereaux Peters - WNBA.com - Official Site of the WNBA". WNBA.com - Official Site of the WNBA. Retrieved 2017-09-09.
  7. "Storm Acquire Natasha Howard in Trade With Lynx". WNBA.com. February 7, 2018. Retrieved February 9, 2018.
  8. The Perfect Storm: Seattle Returns To Glory With Collective Effort
  9. Natasha Howard scores career-high 33, Storm close stong in win at Minnesota
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