1 of 7

Issac Baldizon/Getty Images

With career averages of 8.6 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.8 assists, Shane Battier never shattered box scores or stood out on tape.

He did, however, play a specific role that helped his teams flourish.

Speaking during the "Innovators and Adopters" panel Friday morning, Battier explained how he became an integral contributor beyond the stat sheet thanks to enlightening messages from former head coaches.

The first came courtesy of fellow panelist Jeff Van Gundy, who served as Battier's coach with the Houston Rockets. Embracing one of the many principles that have come to define the league's most ambitious analytical organization, Battier explained how Van Gundy asked his defense to operate.

"Contested two-point dribble jumpers don't beat us," Battier said of Van Gundy's message, according to ESPN TrueHoop's Mason Ginsberg.

Battier, who called Van Gundy's approach "liberating," flourished during his four-and-a-half seasons with the Rockets. Over that span, he tallied a defensive win shares total of 15.9, good for 45 percent of his career total, according to Basketball-Reference.com.

Offensively, Battier had a similar epiphany upon joining the Miami Heat.

According to the man himself, head coach Erik Spoelstra had these words for Battier: "I don’t want you to dribble. I don’t want you to post up. I don’t want you to offensive rebound. I don’t want you to do anything but literally catch and shoot or catch and pass."

And while metrics like player efficiency rating didn't paint Battier in a particularly positive light, his willingness to play a diminished role helped the Heat prosper.

"The extra foot of space I gave LeBron was critical to him completing the play or not," Battier said, according to Nylon Calculus' Seth Partnow.

Advanced stats aside, Battier touched on a key point.

While numbers do tell part of the story, role acceptance is a major component of success from individual and organizational standpoints. Without Battier's ability to occupy catch-and-shoot posts in the corners or on the wings, operating space for LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh would have been diminished—thus limiting Miami's offensive versatility.

As teams across the NBA have quickly learned, opening up driving lanes by stationing shooters along the three-point line has emerged as a trendy way to aid offensive efficiency.