LaMarcus Aldridge post fadeaway: Is it an all-time great move?

Can Aldridge get a “leg up” on his biggest competition?

Tracking statistics may never grant us the opportunity to measure exactly how efficient Kareem Abdul-Jabbar‘s skyhook was, or how often Michael Jordan found net on his turnaround jumpers.

But, they do provide us with a chance to see a year-by-year shooting synopsis for modern-day players.

Using NBA.com’s yearly shooting splits gives us a chance to see how LaMarcus Aldridge’s one-legged fadeaway compares to that of Dirk Nowitzki.

For many, Nowitzki’s turnaround sits on the Mount Rushmore of go-to shots, and one that set the precedent for big men to follow. Looking at what NBA.com calls the “turnaround fadeaway jumper,” here’s how the two stacked up.

LaMarcus Aldridge: 348-of-677, 51.4 percent
Dirk Nowitzki: 493-of-949, 51.9 percent

Two facts to consider: NBA.com differentiates the “turnaround fadeaway jumper” and “turnaround jump shot” as two disparate shot options, starting in 2007-08.

They also don’t track these sorts of shots until 2000-01, making it extremely likely that Nowitzki has at least another 100 to add to his totals (he made 515 field goals in 1999-00).

This isn’t necessarily to say that Aldridge’s turnaround should be on the same plateau as Nowitzki’s. After all, Nowitzki’s variation has won him a championship, as well as the right to represent the league as the Most Valuable Player in 2006-07.

With those accolades comes media attention and highlights, an area Aldridge falls just short, even though he’s used it to rack in seven trips to the All-Star Game.

From a percentage standpoint, those NBA.com statistics show that throughout his career, Nowitzki hit on 51.9 percent of his turnaround fadeaway jumpers, and LaMarcus was just a few decimal points away, dropping in 51.4 percent on slightly lower volume.

Despite that close correlation, there was no mention of Aldridge, when ESPN released their special feature on decade-to-decade low post stars, as they instead recognized Joel Embiid and others.

To provide some additional context, one could look at another modern-day post pioneer in Kevin Garnett. The league’s 2003-04 Most Valuable Player misses out on five whole years for his tracking stats (since these turnaround fadeaways weren’t monitored until 2000-01).

That being said, NBA.com clocks him in at an ungodly (even suspicious, perhaps) 300-of-384 on turnaround shots heading into his 2003-04 peak season.

Though, once the NBA began to differentiate the two shots, Garnett finished at a much more plausible 49.4 percent on turnaround fadeaways (143-of-289 in total).

Looking at how Aldridge measures up to two future Hall of Fame forwards on his signature shot, you can’t help but wonder: If he were ever able to translate that goodness into a championship run, a SportsCenter highlight, or even another fringe-MVP type season — something he’s done three times, per Basketball Reference — would he then be given respect for what his shot has done for his career?

Postseason success has been somewhat of an enigmatic story for the Spurs star. He didn’t advance past the first round until his eighth season in the NBA, though it’s worth mentioning that after that, he advanced to the second round or deeper in three of the next four seasons.

And on that note, it leaves only one pivotal question — something every all-time great go-to move must have. How does it translate into the “second season?”