On the eve before the NBA Finals where the Heat and Lakers will face off, a huge topic of discussion has been Jimmy Butler's journey throughout the league, and most importantly, where he is now.
Since his time in Philadelphia came to an end, the way he worked with the Sixers in comparison to the Heat, has never strayed too far from being a focal point ... and that's been the case since the start of the 2019-20 season.
Butler has continually expressed throughout his first year with the Heat that he enjoys how things are run in Miami. He's been able to be true to himself and has also become the best version of himself as a player.
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Philadelphia sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
Simply put, Butler has been firing from all cylinders since joining the young club, which always ignites the question of why things didn't work out with the Sixers when they had such a talented team.
"I just get to be me here," Butler said to the media Tuesday night. "I get to call it how I see it, nobody takes it personally. I don't have to worry about anyone trying to control me. As it was said -- people was trying to do over there. I have no hard feelings towards any of those players, anybody in that organization.
"I'm glad to be where I am. As you can tell, it's worked out. That's where I'll leave it.
"I knew what we could do here, we added some key pieces in the middle of the year and we are where we are, so I don't really look back at it too much. I gotta stay focused on the right now and the group that I have."
NBA
The next step in Butler's journey starts Wednesday night, 9 p.m. EST when Game 1 of the NBA Finals begins.