Indiana Fever Fans Call Natasha Howard ‘Unplayable’ for Amateur Errors After Valkyries Loss

One and a half minutes into the Fever-Valkyries clash, Odyssey Sims drilled a 27-foot three-pointer off Lexie Hull’s assist, to make it 3-2. That brief moment was the only time in the entire game Indiana Fever had a lead against the Golden State Valkyries. One would imagine that with playoff contention at stake, the Fever will bring their A-game. Instead, their fans witnessed a flat performance. The game closed at 63-75, pushing Indiana down to eighth in the standings.

Another couple of losses and the Fever can kiss postseason hopes goodbye. “We’ve got to find a way to make it click,” Stephanie White said after the Minnesota loss. Her team, however, was far from clicking together. So what went wrong for the Indiana team that had just crushed Seattle by 20 points and carried a two-game win streak? According to WNBA journalist Michael Curley, part of the answer lies with veteran forward Natasha Howard.

Howard, a three-time WNBA champion, made mistakes that looked amateur. Curley summed it up on X: “We’ve really watched Natasha Howard travel on 4 consecutive possessions.” This sequence happened in the third quarter. Indiana Fever trailed by seven with three minutes left on the clock and the ball in hand. Instead of capitalizing, Howard racked up consecutive traveling violations.

Natasha Howard ended the game with 13 points, 6 rebounds, and 1 steal. Yet her night also included the highest personal fouls on the team, alongside Sims and Powers. Maybe it just wasn’t Fever’s day after all. But Howard’s travels weren’t Indiana’s biggest issue. Shooting efficiency was. And the numbers paint the picture.

To put it into perspective, Fever launched 63 shots while the Valkyries attempted only 55. However, the shooting percentage was nowhere near the shot attempts. Despite more chances, Indiana shot just 33 percent, sinking 21 of 63. On the other hand, Golden State connected on 28 of 55 for a strong 50.9 percent. Beyond the arc, it got uglier. Fever hit only 6 of 30 attempts, a dismal 20 percent, while the Valkyries buried 12 of 19 threes, scorching at 63.2 percent.

Even Kelsey Mitchell, the offensive spearhead of the Indiana Fever, had an off day. She scored 14 points with 4 of 14 shooting, numbers far below her average. Aliyah Boston, Odyssey Sims, and Lexie Hull all failed to reach double digits. But the internet had found its scapegoat in Howard. Even the Valkyries’ forward Janelle Salaun committed a travel in the third quarter after consecutive travel fouls by the Fever veteran. But her slip drew little attention, looking at her team clinching the win. The Fever fans, however, were not so forgiving.

Indiana Fever fans blast veteran player for costly mistakes

The Fever fans online shared the sentiment of Michael Curley, which they supported by voicing concern over how Howard was executing her plays. “How can a vet who has played in the league for a long time not know how to move her feet?” one fan wrote on X. Indeed, the number of travels committed by the Fever star was fatal. Looking at the numbers, however, she is having her lowest season of personal fouls per 48 minutes. But that didn’t stop the fans from blaming her for today’s mishap. A fan wrote about the dribbling skills of Howard, stating, “Every time she dribbles the ball up the floor, I’m yelling at my TV for her to pass it!”

Another Fever fan shared this sentiment, claiming, “After chipping away and making it a real game, she just gave it right back.” Indiana was down 43-50 when this series of unfortunate incidents occurred. After the consecutive travels, Fever were down nine points with a score of 46-55. Howard made a two-pointer shot while the travelling fiasco occurred with Kelsey Mitchell making a technical free throw. This was the only moment the game felt close. As Valkyries ran ahead with a constant 10+ point lead ahead of Fever.

But not all Fans just blame Howard. Some laid into the strategies of the Indiana Fever head coach Stephanie White. “I thought White was going to correct bad habits. Like Howard traveling so many times every game. WTH?” wrote one Fever fan, expressing their dismay. When White was hired as head coach, she brought in the old guards of DeWanna Bonner and Natasha Howard alongside her. Now with Bonner leaving the team and Howard becoming the target of scrutiny, it is White who is suffering the brunt of this strategy.

One fan even implored why the head coach did not take the veteran player out after repeated mistakes. “But White never took her out. After back-to-back travels, a good coach would’ve subbed her. No, she waited till Howard squandered 4 possessions. That’s 8 pts we could’ve had,” they penned down. Well, White did take her out. Following the fiasco that occurred, Aliyah Boston entered the game for Natasha Howard in the third quarter with only a minute remaining on the clock. Unfortunately, the Fever fans felt the damage was already done till then.