Basketix Glossary : The Lay-up

Published on January 19, 2026 4 min. reading

At the Adidas Arena, the crowd wants fierce dunks. But for the coaching staff, two points are still two points. In modern basketball, which is obsessed with efficiency, the lay-up remains the safe option, like the basic pass in football. It’s fundamental. But sometimes, it’s an art form.

Definition of Lay-up: The basics of finishing

Literal translation: ‘To lay up’. For basketball players, this is the simplest move in basketball. It is a shot taken at close range, in full stride, where the player jumps to release the ball as close to the hoop as possible.

Unlike a jump shot, you don’t throw the ball, you carry it towards the target. Technically, it often follows the ‘double-step’ technique: two authorised steps without dribbling to gain speed and height.

The goal ? Safety. By using the backboard (the white square), you significantly increase your success rate. The backboard absorbs the ball’s energy and guides it into the net. But be careful, the lay-up has its complex variations:

– The Reverse: You pass under the basket to finish on the other side, using the hoop as protection against the defender.

– The Finger Roll: You roll the ball on your fingertips to gently place it over the hoop without touching the backboard.

It’s the shot you must never miss. If you miss a lay-up on your own in a counter-attack, you’ll end up on the bench or in the crowd.

Place du lay-up dans le basket moderne

We talk about three-point shots all the time. It’s trendy, it’s ‘Steph Curry’. However, the data (statistical analysis) is clear: the lay-up remains the most profitable shot in basketball.

Why ? The maths:

– A 3-point shot is successful about 36-37% of the time on average in the NBA/EuroLeague.
– A mid-range shot? About 40-42%.
– A lay-up? It’s between 60% and 65% successful.

In current strategies (known as ‘Moreyball’), the focus is on two areas: the parking lot (3-pointers) or the paint (lay-ups). Anything in between is to be avoided. Modern play spreads out defences with sharpshooters in the corners. The result? Access to the circle is wide open. Fast point guards like TJ Shorts make this their stock in trade. They pierce the defence to go and score.

But the difficulty has changed. With increasingly tall and mobile rim protectors (think Victor Wembanyama or Rudy Gobert), a simple lay-up is no longer enough. You need jelly, spin moves, changes of pace. It has become an acrobatic feat.

The masters of the lay-up: Kyrie, TP and the rest

Who are the kings of finishing near the circle ? It’s not the tallest players, it’s the most technical ones.

The GOAT of the lay-up : Kyrie Irving. The Mavericks point guard is a magician. He has one of the most complete finishing packages in history. Left hand, right hand, with spin, very high on the board… Kyrie defies physics. According to Second Spectrum, he converts shots at the rim with a degree of difficulty greater than 80% as if it were a warm-up. His ability to put spin on the ball so that it finds the basket from any angle is unmatched.

The French legend : Tony Parker. He revolutionised the lay-up for ‘short’ players (1.88 m) in the NBA. Facing giants like Shaq, going for contact was suicide. TP popularised the ‘Teardrop’ (or Floater). A lay-up released very early, in a bell shape, which falls like fine rain into the hoop before the blocker can reach it. He dominated the NBA paint for 15 years without ever dunking.

The ‘Scoop’ expert : Stephen Curry. He is known for his logo shots. But Curry finishes at nearly 65% in the circle in some seasons. His speciality? The ‘High Scoop’. He raises the ball very high on the backboard to avoid the sprawling arms of the centres.

A legendary move : Dr. J defies gravity

It’s 1980. NBA Finals. Philadelphia Sixers versus Los Angeles Lakers. Julius Erving, aka ‘Dr. J’, gets the ball at the baseline.

He attacks the circle. Lakers defender Mark Landsberger cuts him off. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar waits in second position to block him. Erving is trapped. He jumps, his body outside the boundaries of the court, behind the backboard. In the air, he fakes a normal lay-up, keeps the ball in his huge right hand, passes under the backboard, and raises his arm for a reverse lay-up with an insane spin.

The ball hits the backboard and goes in. The crowd goes wild. Magic Johnson, on the opposing bench, is left open-mouthed. It was only two points. But it was the most famous lay-up in history. Proof that a lay-up can be just as spectacular as a dunk.