Hiedeman Ready to Lead the Way
Natisha Hiedeman takes on a new challenge in Seattle.
The Seattle Storm had to make a difficult decision this offseason. Were they going to bring back Nneka Ogwumike and Skylar Diggins or take this opportunity to go with a (mostly) clean slate? It could have been a tough decision because both Ogwumike and Diggins showed that they can still contribute at a high level. The problem was that after two seasons in Seattle, they weren’t able to get past the first round of the playoffs. And the 2025 regular season was more disappointing than the 2024 season (finished 7th in the WNBA in 25 and 5th in 24). The team was trending downwards, and their veterans were getting older. After relieving Coach Noelle Quinn of her head coaching duties and bringing in Sonia Raman, it made it easier to start over. A fresh start for the franchise and to all of those involved.
By making that decision, however, the team lost one of the game’s best point guards in Skylar Diggins. Diggins will be difficult to replace in one season because she’s an elite scorer who is also very talented at getting her teammates the ball. Diggins was tied with Veronica Burton for the third-best assist average per game last season at 6.0 APG.
Seattle may need to make up for Skylar’s absence in the aggregate. The first player to get that opportunity will be Natisha Hiedeman. Hiedeman was the Storm’s first free agency acquisition this offseason as the team looked to go younger and build around players like Dominique Malonga and Jordan Horston.
Before the Studbudz became a viral sensation. Before the pink hair. Natisha Hiedeman had carved out a nice career for herself in the WNBA. She was drafted in the 2nd round (18th overall) by the Minnesota Lynx, but was immediately traded by Minnesota to the Connecticut Sun for Lexie Brown. Hiedeman was actually waived as a rookie at the end of training camp. She eventually re-signed with the Sun during the 2019 season.
Over the next two years, she worked hard to become a strong contributor off the bench for Connecticut, averaging between 6.0 and 8.0 PPG. In 2021, she shot 40% from beyond the three-point arc, demonstrating her excellent shooting ability. Her production on the court earned her a starting role in 2022 and 2023. In 2022, she averaged a career-high in points (9.1 PPG) and assists (3.3 APG) as she helped lead the Sun to a 25-11 record and a trip to the WNBA Finals.
After another positive season in 2023, she was traded back to the Minnesota Lynx in exchange for Tiffany Mitchell and a second-round pick. During her arrival in Minnesota, she was asked to come off the bench in a reserve role behind one of the Lynx’s top free agent acquisitions, Courtney Williams.
I talked to Hiedeman about the adjustments going from a starter to a reserve role and if that changes her approach.
“I feel like I take both the same, you know? I don’t think it matters to me, coming off the bench, starting, like, the impact that you have on the game is gonna be the impact that you have on the game… Every time I step on the floor, I just want to compete. I wanna play basketball to the best of my ability.” Hiedeman said.
She will be taking on more responsibility this season. Natisha, or “T” as she likes to be called, is projected to be the Seattle Storm’s starting point guard this year. Hiedeman will be asked to take on more challenges than her time in Minnesota.
“I think now more so, it’s just a lot more leadership. Like coach said, just getting everybody in the right spots, and being somebody that if anybody has a question or anybody needs anything, they can always know that they can turn to me. So I think my role is more so just focused on making sure everybody’s comfortable on the court, that we’re having fun, and that we’re jelling.” She added.
Hiedeman went more into her leadership style.