BREAKING NEWS: Hall-of-Famer gives brutally honest assessment about the team’s title chances.

The Big Aristotle isn’t holding back. Shaquille O’Neal is a four-time champion who understands better than anyone what it takes to win a championship.

However, in his opinion, the Milwaukee Bucks do not appear to be a team that will be standing on the podium in June, and he believes Milwaukee risks failing to advance past the first round.

Shaquille O’Neal critiqued the team’s performance following the Milwaukee Bucks’ loss against the Memphis Grizzlies on Thursday.

After another poor performance against the Memphis Grizzlies on Thursday, Hall-of-Fame centre and four-time champion Shaquille O’Neal claimed the club is in danger of being eliminated in the first round for the second year in a row.

“The Bucks have to understand because of Giannis and Dame, opponents are going to be playing above their heads,” he added. “But forget all that; you’re supposed to blow this team out by 30…” They were supposed to come out and demolish this team, but Chuck stated they had problems with the defence, no timely stops, no effort. It’s a championship team on paper, but the way they’re playing right now, they’ll be swept in the first round.”
A few notes here. Khris Middleton has missed the last five games due to an ankle ailment, and he was playing his best basketball before his absence. It’s premature to pass judgment on the Milwaukee Bucks because Doc Rivers has only coached them for 10 games, he took the job in the midst of a gruelling West Coast road trip, and he is attempting to rebuild a defence that finished in the bottom half of the NBA this year while keeping the offence going. So far, the results have been mixed, but there are some encouraging indicators heading into the second half of the season.

What has Doc Rivers done to help the Milwaukee Bucks?
The Milwaukee Bucks have progressed under Doc Rivers. The defence has been playing much better, and the scores reflect that. Not only that, but the Giannis-Damian Lillard connection has improved to the point where Milwaukee is running more offensive sets centred on Giannis and Damian Lillard.

Doc has also discovered a hidden gem in AJ Green, who appears to be a knockout shooter. On February 8, Green scored 27 points on 9-of-11 shooting, including 7-of-8 from three. Green’s defence has also been a positive indicator of his improvement.

Milwaukee has struggled so far under Doc Rivers, but we’ll see how the club looks after Middleton returns and is healthy, as well as how soon freshly signed Danilo Gallinari can become one of the go-to men off the bench.