Jimmy Butler believes the Miami Heat can make it to the NBA Finals as currently constructed.

Miami enters Friday at 18-6, which is good for second place in the Eastern Conference standings. Butler spoke to Rachel Nichols of ESPN about why he thinks the Heat can win the East (clip starts at 6:25):

Before the season started, most pundits picked the Milwaukee Bucks and Philadelphia 76ers to meet in the Eastern Conference Finals. When it's all said and done, Butler and the Heat might have something to say about that.

Butler is averaging 20.6 points, 6.9 rebounds and 7.0 assists on the season while shooting 43.1 percent from the field, 30.4 percent from beyond the arc and 82.7 percent from the free-throw line. The Heat only have one other All-Star on the roster in Goran Dragic, but they have a bunch of hard-working players who have bright futures, headlined by Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro, Kendrick Nunn and Duncan Robinson.

The Heat are undefeated at home, thanks to Butler's superstar play. A lot of people criticized Jimmy for leaving the Sixers for Miami, but it's pretty clear Butler knew what he was doing. He saw something from afar in the South Beach roster and knew his personality and grit would mesh perfectly with the team's culture.