Through the opening weeks of the WNBA season, Seattle Storm forward Natasha Howard sits near the top of the league in points (3rd) and rebounds (6th). Only two seasons ago, such a feat might have seemed like a tall order for Howard, a career backup up to that point. But now, the 27-year-old has taken off, keeping the Storm afloat with reigning MVP Breanna Stewart out for the season due to an Achilles injury and legendary point guard Sue Bird out indefinitely.

As Howard handles the scoring load, Seattle once again has become a team that no one wants to face.

Howard is remarkably adept at finishing in the paint, able to score from a variety of angles and not afraid to contort her body to make room for moves and layups. She routinely uses a hook shot coming from right-to-left across the lane that is tough to guard, since she releases the ball up and away from defenders. Her offensive game wears down an opposing team over the course of the game. Her stat line this year — 19.6 points, 9.1 rebounds, 2.1 steals, 1.7 blocks —  proves that she is a force on both ends.

Howard’s rise, however, has come after several seasons of development in the WNBA. In fact, her journey to professional stardom has been quite unique.

Post moves ?

Natasha Howard works her defender for the bucket! #WatchMeWork pic.twitter.com/au1k5VvuLs

— WNBA (@WNBA) July 15, 2018

After a dominant senior year at Florida State – she averaged 20.5 points, 9.3 rebounds, 2.3 blocks and 2.1 steals per game—Howard was selected fifth in the 2014 WNBA Draft by the Indiana Fever. The transition into a new level of hoops proved challenging, as Howard fought for time over her first two seasons in the league. She started slightly less than half of her games in her rookie year, but the forward’s playing time regressed from 16.9 minutes per game to 11.4 in 2015, and she received only two starts. Howard’s production was trending in the wrong direction that year as well: she shot 37.9% from the field and averaged 4.2 points and 2.6 rebounds per game.

The Fever traded Howard to the Minnesota Lynx as part of a sign-and-trade deal for Devereaux Peters during the following offseason. Howard, in her third year, had a fresh start. And even though her playing time remained low, she began to show significant signs of improvement, her talent starting to equal on-court production. In 2016, Howard shot 57.4% on field goal attempts, the best mark of her career by a wide margin. She also reached new career highs in rebounds (3.6), assists (0.8), and blocks (0.7).

Meanwhile, the Lynx, led by the impressive combination of Sylvia Fowles and Maya Moore, came up one game short of a title, losing to the Los Angeles Sparks in five games in the WNBA Finals. Howard performed admirably in the playoffs, scoring 5.6 points per game on incredible 70.0% shooting.

The following year saw Howard win her first championship. This time, the Lynx defeated the Sparks in the Finals. Howard played sparingly for most of the playoffs, but nevertheless finished the regular season strong, averaging 6.7 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 1.2 steals on 52.2% shooting over her last nine games. Between her solid production and the team’s success, there were plenty of signs that Howard was primed to come into her own at last in the WNBA.

Prior to the 2018 season, the Seattle Storm recognized that Howard could emerge as a key contributor in a championship run and traded for the forward in a deal for a second-round draft selection and a pick swap. Howard responded by outperforming all expectations. In her fifth WNBA season, she averaged 13.2 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 2.0 blocks per game (which ranked second in the league) along with 54.7% shooting. She started 33 out of 34 games, becoming a crucial piece for the Storm in support of Stewart on offense and defense, a true offensive threat and rim protector.

Howard stepped up even more in the playoffs, averaging 15.8 points and 8.3 rebounds as she played a large role in Seattle’s championship. In Game 3 of the Finals, she took over, scoring 29 points and capturing 14 rebounds. After back-to-back championships, Howard had established herself on the biggest stage. In recognition of her sterling 2018 performance, she was named Most Improved Player and received a nod for All-Defensive First Team.

And this season, Howard has refused to give up even with Stewart out for the season. She has dragged her team to victory on a number of occasions, most recently scoring 26 points in a two-point win over the Fever. Her numbers are among the WNBA’s best. Howard has turned into a franchise player, and once Stewart returns next year, the Storm figure to be a threat for seasons to come.

For now, expect Howard to keep improving. Game after game and year after year, her star continues to rise.