The Milwaukee Bucks' fear factor in the East draws hot take from Charles Barkley

At this critical stage of the season, the Milwaukee Bucks are already drawing significant regard as a legitimate championship heavyweight. Coming off a productive stretch in which they won six of their last seven games, the ball club is trending upward and continuing to solidify their championship rally with 19 games left before the postseason time hits the calendar.

But despite this, there is still a level of dubiousness about the team’s competitive capabilities. And recently, Charles Barkley dropped an intriguing take on how Milwaukee fares up in the Eastern Conference.

Bucks not a scary team in the East?

Chuck is a notable Bucks supporter, and his campaign on the team’s 2021 championship rally has been well documented and appreciated by the Milwaukee faithful. But this time around, the basketball legend appears to be skeptical about their place in the East this season as he believes that the Boston Celtics is the only group that strikes fear within the said conference.

“Other than the Celtics, there’s not a single team in the East that scares you,” he said during Thursday’s coverage of Inside the NBA.

Upon this bold declaration, Chuck drew instant reaction from co-hosts Ernie Johnson and Kenny Smith as they questioned the Bucks’ exclusion. As such, Barkley dropped a bizarre reason why no one fears Milwaukee despite parading Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard.

“[The Bucks have] Giannis and Dame, but nobody fears them because they don't have a lot of athletic ability. So no. … The East is up for grabs, other than the Celtics.”