Media Day 2015: Natalie Achonwa – Natalie Achonwa chats with Pat Boylan and Wheat Hotchkiss on Media Day.

Before the season even started, Natalie Achonwa spoke about how learning a new offense and defense had put everyone on a similar learning curve. “We’re learning a new style of play, so everyone is kind of a rookie in the sense of learning new stuff,” Achonwa explained. “So it made my transition a little easier that I wasn’t the only who didn’t know what was going on.”

It was a transition the Notre Dame product had been waiting a long time to make. During the 2013-14 college basketball season, when her Irish were hurling through the NCAA tournament, Achonwa — or Ace, as some of her teammates call her — suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in her left knee. But while the dream of being on the court while her team won the NCAA Championship was dashed, her sights became set on joining the WNBA. The Fever had their sights on her, too.

Knowing that she would miss the entire season, the Fever still drafted Achonwa ninth overall, showing that they were both patient enough to wait on the college star to return to health and confident enough that she could become a key component of the team down the road.

And now, six games into the 2015 season, fans and coaches alike are starting to see why she was worth the wait. Despite the team getting off to a slow 2-4 start, Achonwa has rarely missed a beat. She is first on the Fever in field goal percentage, second on the team in rebounds per game, and third in scoring. Furthermore, her scoring average (11.2 points per game) leads all WNBA rookies.

“She’s been great, one of the things about Natalie is she’s a point guard mentality in a post player’s body, I mean she just gets it,” said head coach Stephanie White after Achonwa went 7-of-11 from the field against Minnesota. “She’s got a high IQ, she’s got a great feel for the game, she has a tremendous poise about her for a young player, she’s not blinded by the moment at all.”

Nearly all of Achonwa’s points this season have come in the paint. Ace’s deft footwork allows her 6-foot-3 frame to pivot like a spinning top, giving her clean looks to the rim where she is able to score at awkward angles. She’s also displayed an impressive ability to score the ball with both hands, which enables her to take whatever the defense gives her.

Perhaps the most frightening aspect of Achonwa’s torrid start to the season — at least for opponents — is that coach White claims Ace still isn’t at 100 percent health. So what’s her ceiling when she gets back into form and is fully acclimated to the style and pace of the WNBA?

“She’s going to be a great franchise player for us,” coach White said.

Not a bad compliment for a rookie.