Definition

Noun: 1. A basketball shot: A close-range shot in basketball, typically made with one hand, where the player releases the ball near the basket, often using the backboard to bank it in.

Usage

The term "layup" refers specifically to a fundamental, high-percentage scoring attempt in basketball. It is executed by a player who is moving toward the basket, lifting the ball, and laying it up against the backboard or directly into the hoop from very close range.

Examples

• The point guard drove past the defender for an easy layup.
• She missed a wide-open layup in the final seconds of the game.
• Practicing your left-handed layup is essential for a complete offensive game.

Advanced Usage

• "Finger roll layup": A variation where the ball is rolled off the fingertips with finesse, often avoiding the backboard.
• "Reverse layup": A shot where the player goes under the basket and lays the ball in on the opposite side of the rim, shielding it from a defender.
• "Euro step layup": A move incorporating a deceptive side step to avoid a charging foul before finishing with the layup.

Variants and Related Words

• Lay-up (noun): An alternative hyphenated spelling of "layup."
• Lay in (noun/phrasal verb): A synonym often used interchangeably with "layup," emphasizing the action of laying the ball into the basket.

Synonyms

• Lay-in
• Close-range shot
• Drive (when referring to the action culminating in a layup, e.g., "He finished the drive with a layup.")

Related Phrases

• "Make a layup": To successfully score using this shot.
  • The coach emphasized that we must make our layups to win.
• "Miss a layup": To fail to score on this typically easy shot.
  • Missing that uncontested layup was costly.
• "Convert a layup": Another way to say "make a layup," often used in game commentary.
  • The forward converted the layup despite being fouled.

Noun

1. a basketball shot made with one hand from a position under or beside the basket (and usually banked off the backboard)