Natisha Hiedeman’s national popularity has skyrocketed this season; the Minnesota Lynx guard serves as one-half of the popular Stud Budz Twitch streaming duo that has captivated the world.
But as massive as Hiedeman’s year has been off the floor (who could have projected she’d be sharing a Vogue cover with good friend Courtney Williams in 2025?), what she’s done on the floor has been equally remarkable.
Hiedeman has averaged 8.8 points and 2.8 assists for the Lynx across 43 games this season — she’s shooting 48.5% from the field and 36.1% from three. And, there have been times where her play has been so strong that she’s closed out games over Williams, an All-Star in her own right.
Earlier this month, she tallied at least 20 points in three consecutive games, recording a career-high 24 points in a win over the Golden State Valkyries last Saturday.
Hiedeman has been crucial to the success of the Minnesota Lynx; when their Williams struggles, she has beautifully assumed point guard responsibilities. Her reliability is a big reason why the Lynx have been as great as they’ve been this year.
Other WNBA players I considered for Sixth Player of the Year
Alongside Hiedeman, I most strongly considered the 3 players for the Sixth Player of the Year award:
New York Liberty guard Kennedy BurkeAtlanta Dream forward Naz HillmonPhoenix Mercury forward DeWanna Bonner
First, it’s important to note that there’s an eligibility requirement for this award — players must have come off the bench for more games than they started. I’ll mention that if Jewell Loyd had been moved to the bench earlier, she likely would have been my vote. She had the highest point per game average out of all players who played at least 15 bench games, and the move is directly correlated to winning; the Aces are 17-1 with her coming off the bench. But she started 25 games and came off the bench for 18 this season, so she’s not eligible for the award.
Additionally, Phoenix Mercury guard Sami Whitcomb came off the bench for 22 games, and while that’s technically enough to be considered for the award, I omitted her since she was basically a 50/50 starter/bench player.
I also liked what rookie Dominique Malonga did for the Seattle Storm off the bench this season, but her role was too limited for the first half of the season to rival the players who contributed all season long.
So, let’s take a look at the other strong candidates for Sixth Player.
Kennedy Burke averaged 8.5 points and 2.3 rebounds off the bench, shooting 47.9% from the field and 32.2% from three for a true shooting percentage of 60.4% — the highest among bench players I considered. She came off the bench for 26 of the 35 games she played in, and had a +4.2 net rating (the Liberty’s overall net rating was a +5.2).
Naz Hillmon averaged 8 points and 4.9 rebounds off the bench, shooting 49.4% from the field and 35.2% from three. With her as Sixth Player, the Dream tallied a 16-11 record. Hillmon was ultimately thrust into the starting lineup as a result of her strong play, and she’s been even more effective in that role.
DeWanna Bonner was the leading scorer off the bench (among players who have come off the bench for at least 20 games). She’s averaged 10.2 points on 55.1 TS% off the bench this season. But, she’s actually had a negative net rating this season (-0.7), and the Mercury had a better record without her (13-6) than with her (14-10), though that’s not to say she’s responsible for some of their later-season struggles.
Why Natisha Hiedeman ultimately earned my vote
For one, the 5’8 guard has been uber efficient. Her 58.4 TS% is the best of her career. But, that hasn’t really been a separator; Hillmon (57.9 TS%) and Burke (60.4 TS%) have also been very efficient this season, too, while Bonner has been slightly less so (55.1 TS%). Bonner has won the award three times in her WNBA career — more than any player in league history — but ultimately wasn’t one of my final picks.
Second, I try to take winning into account as much as possible when making award decisions — I selected Veronica Burton over Azura Stevens for Most Improved, for example, in part because the Golden State Valkyries have been much better than the Los Angeles Sparks (though Burton would have secured my vote regardless).
The Lynx had the best record in the league by 4 games, and their depth is a massive reason why. Though Courtney Williams has put together a great season of her own, the Lynx having such a strong backup plan for when things at the point guard position go south has been crucial.
For example, last month, in an August 22nd win, Williams was struggling and was ultimately benched. Hiedeman, who had tallied 17 points on 6-10 shooting, closed out the victory over the Indiana Fever. Then, two nights later, she played just 13 minutes as Williams refound her rhythm.
It’s a perfect example of Hiedeman being an effective Sixth Player — stepping into a crucial role when necessary, but also accepting that the role waivers.
Ultimately, my choice boiled down to Hiedeman and Hillmon, and both players made great picks. Amazingly, both players have the same Player Impact Estimate (11.7), a metric that quantifies a player’s overall contribution to their team’s performance by calculating the percentage of positive, “on-ball” events they are responsible for in a game. So, it was close.
I went back and forth on this one quite a bit. Ultimately, the Lynx’s success as a team — and the fact that Hiedeman was exclusively a bench player — gave her the upper hand.