Caitlin Clark’s Teammate Clears the Air on WNBA Rookie Amid Uncertainty Around Roster Cut

She didn’t know she was on the Fever’s radar, nor did she imagine that when the surreal switch finally happened, something remarkable would follow. She never expected to share the court with someone she aspired to be—someone who, in turn, saw her own younger self reflected in the eyes of her fan. Truth be told, Timpson never had grand dreams. “I can go in and block a lot of shots. Just do the things I did here to a perfection, ” Timpson had said before she found her spot on the 12-player roster. “Like just blocking shots, rebounding and just defending, being a great teammate, and just working hard.” But ask her mentor and now teammate, Natasha Howard, and she’ll tell you: Makayla Timpson is made for greatness.

Both Seminoles have shared a bond for quite some time. Even while Timpson was holding it down at FSU and Howard was making waves overseas, the two kept in touch—quietly rooting for each other. That support was rooted in proper admiration for each other, as Howard even thinks that once she retires, Timpson will be the next Natasha Howard. And the funny thing is that Howard sort of manifested, before she even went to the Fever, that she would one day get to play alongside her mini-me. “We’ve always been talking, and she told me, like, earlier last year, that she wanted to play with me,” Timpson shared.

Now that both are in Indiana, they must secretly chuckle at the thought of this, and honestly, we haven’t seen a better mentor-mentee duo. The banters are there, the respect is there, the game is there, and the urge to improve is also there. Hence, Howard, of course, has been sharing some valuable tips with the rookie. Timpson had given us a hint of this when she said “she’s been giving me a lot of pointers” in early May. Now, the mentor has herself come forward to share what tips she actually gave, and beneath all that, we can see her thumping stamp of approval.

All I told her you know go there play your game. Play free minded,” Howard said, listing the suggestions she has been giving Timpson. “But also get the rebounds, you are a good rebounder, so make sure to get every rebound you can. And play good defence and just don’t overthink and have fun out there”.

And then, when Howard was asked about what she brings to the Fever team, it seemed like she had the answer at the tip of her tongue. “Versatility. Good defence, good rebounder,” she said. “that we needed for back up five (center) for Aliyah. So, she is gonna be really good fit for us.”

Natasha talks about our Rook, Makayla pic.twitter.com/pWu943hjEp

— C (@C038254) May 10, 2025

Another fun fact to note here is that just recently, Timpson surpassed Howard as the school’s all-time leading rebounder, and you are telling us that with all these little acts of fate, they are now teammates? Yeah, we love how it pieces together, too.

And it seems especially generous that Timpson has someone like Howard beside her. Because, you see, like most rookies, Timpson was thrown into the uncertain world of the WNBA with barely a week of rest. It is a tale as old as time that rookies always struggle to adapt and adjust in the big league. So, a familiar face is always more than welcome. And with how clear Howard has been in giving her suggestions? No wonder Makayla sounds so confident whenever she is talking about her goal. “I can really focus on basketball right now,” Timpson said. “So just being able to do what they need me to do here, just focusing on that, and being the best I can be every single day.”

And, yet, there is another person who might just be stepping into the role of a leader but is doing so in her own way.

Wholesome perfectionist Caitlin Clark

As if breaking nearly all records was not enough, Caitlin Clark now wants to don the hat of a leader.

“When you’re the point guard, you’ve got to be the strongest voice on the floor. So I think that at times that’s where I struggled last year, just coming in as a rookie,” Clark recently told reporters. But when you listen to what she said next, you might just go awww with that teary-eyed, sad-but-happy emoji.

“You don’t know when to use your voice. You don’t know when to listen to your vets. You don’t know the best way to handle a lot of those situations. So I think just learning and growing through that, I just think being a really good leader is my main goal,” she continued. Yeah, you see where that is coming from?

And it seems like she started being that big sister everyone needs with Makayla first. During the team’s third preseason game at Gateway Center Arena in Atlanta, Clark and her Fever teammates began clapping to a beat in a circle. Timpson was then nudged into the center and urged to dance as everyone cheered her on. What Clark said in response? “I like it. I like that”. Her own way, as we said.

It is clear that Makayla Timpson has found a great team and while there are still uncertainties since Jaelyn Brown is also in the mix, we are sure she will cherish the time spent together with the Fever squad.

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