Stephen A Smith stirred the pot again on Friday night, leaving out Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks when sharing his opinion on the best teams in the NBA's loaded Eastern Conference.

“This is gonna shock y'all. I see about four teams in the Eastern Conference, and one of them is not the Milwaukee Bucks,” Smith said on Friday. “I think about Brooklyn, I think about Boston, I think about Cleveland, I think about Philadelphia.”

It's another bold claim from Smith, especially as Giannis and the Bucks sit in third place in the conference at 27-15, with the same amount of wins as both the Brooklyn Nets and Cleveland Cavaliers.

“We're only talking about in the moment right now, I don't expect that to last, cause Giannis Antetokounmpo is that dude,” Smith continued. But clearly, Smith sees something lacking with the Bucks right now that he sees with the other aforementioned four teams.

“There's something missing. And obviously Middleton is a key factor in all of that because you anticipate him being healthy. Once he's healthy, boom, everything could explode. That hasn't been the case.”

It's been a season to forget for All-Star wingman Kris Middleton, who missed his 13th straight game on Wednesday as he continues to recover from soreness in his right knee. However, the veteran guard is ramping up his work in an effort to return to action, which will certainly make a difference for the Bucks.

“I look at Cleveland, Boston, Brooklyn and Philadelphia, and all of them seem to me like they are thriving and they are elevating their level of play. I just look at those four teams right now, and they're impressing me more than Milwaukee,” Stephen A Smith concluded on Friday.

It's an embarrassment of riches for NBA fans getting to watch any of those five teams on a nightly basis, but currently, Smith just doesn't see Giannis and the Bucks in the same tier.