Have you ever wondered how many points a layup is worth?

How Many Points is a Layup Worth in Basketball?

In basketball, a layup is worth two points. However, when no referees are present, players set the terms on how many points layups are worth. In this case, a layup can be worth one or two points depending on what is agreed upon.

What is The Importance of Layups in Basketball?

Layups are important in basketball because they give your team easy opportunities to score points and are high-percentage shots.

To highlight the ease of layups, let’s take a look at some layup statistics from Lebon James.

Lebron James once shot 70% out of 357 layups attempted. Many of these were contested but goes to show you they are a highly efficient shot. This makes it a good team strategy to shoot as many layups as possible.

When I coached basketball, I would run plays to help give our team opportunities to score layups and take easy shots to help us win.

How Can a Team Score More Lay-Ups?

Attempting layups is easy, but attempting high-quality layups can be hard sometimes. When I coached, I found my teams had the most layup opportunities when we played good defense.

By playing good defense, we were able to create turnovers and score layups in transition. After a steal for instance we would create a lot of two-on-one opportunities where players would end the play with a pass and an easy layup.

Oftentimes, we would score an and-one layup, which gave us an opportunity to score an additional point for being fouled.

When are Lay Ups Not Worth Two Points?

Anytime there is no referee present, a layup can be either one or two points. The players must agree on the layup value before starting the game. This commonly happens during pick-up basketball games at a local park or gym.

Layups will always be two points during an organized basketball game with referees.

Examples of official basketball games include:

• Park League
• AAU
• High school basketball
• College Basketball
• Adult league basketball
• NBA
• WMNA
• FIBA
• Professional leagues worldwide

Are Lay Ups the Only Basketball Shot Worth Two Points?

In basketball, layups are not the only shots worth two points. There are several shot types that are worth two points. These include any jump shots or baskets inside the 3-point line.

Other shots worth two points include dunks, mid-range jump shots, floaters, and runners.

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