Milwaukee, WI
Pacers players Jalen Smith and Aaron Nesmith remember past playoff battles with Milwaukee Bucks
INDIANAPOLIS — The Indiana Pacers are back in the playoffs for the first time since 2020 as a franchise, but much of the roster been there before. Multiple players have reached the postseason with other franchises before, and their experience will be valuable for a younger Pacers squad.
Two of those players, Aaron Nesmith and Jalen Smith, have specific prior postseason experiences that could be valuable for Indiana this year. They battled the Milwaukee Bucks in a series recently — for Smith, it was during the NBA Finals in 2021 when he was with the Phoenix Suns. For Nesmith, it was the Eastern Conference Semifinals in 2022 while he was a member of the Boston Celtics.
While a lot has changed for the Bucks, much is the same. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middlteon, Brook Lopez, Pat Connaughton, Thanasis Antetokounmpo, and Bobby Portis remain for the Milwaukee group that won an NBA Championship three years ago, and five of those players still get significant playing time for the team to this day. While other players, including some stars, have come in and changed the roster in a major way — and the Bucks have made two coaching changes, too — they do have a roster filled with continuity. And now, they’ll face the Pacers in the first round.
“Yes and no,” Smith said of what he remembers about the series he played against the Bucks. “I try to say no because I lost, so I try to forget it. But at the end of the day, I understand the game plan that we had.”
Smith didn’t play at all in that series. He was a rookie for the Suns, and Phoenix didn’t want to rely on him in the postseason. But he was still a part of the preparation against Antetokounmpo and company. He has experience with a battle against Milwaukee.
“They’ve got a lot of shooters around Giannis now,” Smith said of what is different about the Bucks in 2024 compared to 2021. They’ve added Malik Beasley and Damian Lillard, among others, who can bury outside shots.
Phoenix was up 2-0 in that series before losing four in a row to drop the best-of-seven. The Bucks got the best of Smith and the Suns. But in the following season, Nesmith and the Celtics got their shot at Milwaukee in the postseason and had different fortunes.
Boston had an intense, seven-game battle with the Bucks the year after Milwaukee’s title run. Nesmith, who was in his second season at the time, was largely out of the rotation, but he did make an appearance in four games during that series.
“It’s a different team, different coaching staff, different play style. It’s a brand new series, brand new team,” Nesmith said of playing the Bucks now compared to a few years ago. “We’re going to look at it with a great opportunity.” He had three points and four rebounds in the 2022 series while shooting 50% from the field.
The Celtics won the best-of-seven before reaching the NBA Finals. Nesmith, like Smith, learned a lot about playoff preparation from that run, and both young players are better now thanks to their past experiences.
Now, they are both in the Pacers playing rotation, so their involvement in the upcoming postseason will be much different. They both acknowledged that it does feel different to get ready for a playoff series in which playing time is clearly coming.
“I’m super excited, super pumped. It’s going to be a lot of fun,” Nesmith said of the upcoming set with the Bucks. He’s preparing differently day-to-day now since he has a bigger role that he did with Boston. But he still learned a lot with the Celtics. “I’m familiar with the prep and how detail-oriented you have to be about everything,” Nesmith said, noting that small things matter.
Smith shared similar sentiments on Wednesday. “I got the mental aspect and how crucial each game is,” he shared of his experience with the Suns. Now, he’s the Pacers backup center and will be a key reserve behind Myles Turner against Miwlaukee.
“Just being ready and being prepared mentally just to go out there and compete,” Smith said.
Both players have similar career arcs in that they were traded to Indiana after being a deep reserve lottery pick in their first NBA stop. With the Pacers, Smith and Nesmith both took advantage of bigger opportunities and are key parts of the team’s rotation. The blue and gold went through some development years that benefitted the pair, but now those two are ready for a postseason series as contributors.
Their prior experiences against the Bucks will be valuable. They’ve seen Milwaukee up close, and on the biggest stage. Their opponent has a different look and feel now, but so do Nesmith and Smith. They’ll be ready for more responsibilities in this series.
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Milwaukee, WI
Squire Robinson leads a new generation of Milwaukee artists with his distinctly bold style
In a cavernous attic studio stands Squire Robinson.
Next to him on the ground is an unfinished painting of his. Hung above him are numerous paintings that he’s finished in the past year.
The walls are filled with works of art, crafted by the various artists who also call 100% MKE, a nonprofit arts studio and workspace at 217 N. Broadway, home.
Robinson’s art doesn’t just stand among them – it stands out.
Maybe it’s the saturated reds that prevail in each of his pieces.
Maybe it’s the bold strokes that create the even bolder figures that call his paintings home.
Either way, Robinson’s art has a tangible effect for those with the eyes to see.
“Sometimes the most important piece of art is that you feel. His art makes you feel,” Richard Badger Jr. said. Badger, who goes by the artist name Coyote Rich, is also an artist in residence at 100% MKE.
Robinson first fell in love with art through his grandfather, who painted signs for corner stores. Early memories of drawing contests with his grandfather enchanted Squire into the art world.
Later, Robinson drew comics and superhero characters, foreshadowing the powerful figures he paints today.
“My style has always been there, it’s just evolution, it grows and changes,” Robinson said.
Robinson, a 2024 graduate of the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design, has always had a certain fascination with Renaissance-era paintings.
Yet despite his appreciation of the style, something was missing.
“I appreciated the technique and skill, but I just couldn’t really relate to it,” Robinson said.
For him, the lack of diversity made the style feel distant.
Black culture in art
Now, Robinson’s style flows through the powerful Black people he paints.
“I took some of that flavor and remixed it to something that is more me,” Robinson said. “My inspiration comes from Black culture, music and my dreams.”
Robinson’s own personality is vehemently present in each of his pieces.
“His art has a very strong personality behind it,” said Nelle Speerschneider, a co-founding board member of 100% MKE.
By the end of a lengthy creative process, Robinson’s pieces are saturated with color and shapes that make viewers stop and stare. For Robinson, that’s the goal.
“To me, good art is when you can just stare at it and sit with it and think,” Robinson said. “If you see my work and walk right past it, then I didn’t do something right.”
Music and the flow state
Robinson said when he is met with a blank canvas, he doesn’t begin with a person or a setting; he starts with the mood. Then, with the help of music, he lets his art flow.
“I don’t try to contain the style, it’s just all me,” Robinson said.
Music is a big deal for Robinson. So much so that he can’t paint without it. Robinson’s taste in music, from classical and jazz to his love for Kendrick Lamar, seeps into his art.
“Squire’s art makes me feel like music,” Badger said.
Robinson said music helps him loosen up and get out of a funk.
“It helps me escape and enter that flow state,” Robinson said.
He said music supports his ethereal creative process.
“Sometimes when I paint, I feel like I’m being guided by something higher than me,” Robinson said.
Milwaukee made
As a young figure in the Milwaukee art scene, Robinson wears the city on his sleeve.
“Growing up in Milwaukee made me hard in the sense of staying true to myself,” Robinson said.
At 100% MKE, Robinson offers a unique voice. “It’s nice to have his youthful and urban take in the studio,” Speerschneider said.
Badger said young artists like Robinson are vital for pushing the scene forward.
“They’re the driving force of what Milwaukee looks and feels like,” he said.
Future goals
Going forward, Robinson wants to become an art therapist, someone who uses the medium of art to process emotional challenges.
“Art has always been a way to self-express and get my own feelings out,” Robinson said. “That’s why the tone of my paintings matters the most, because those feelings are what I’m trying to evoke.”
As for his art career, Robinson says his finest work is yet to come.
“I haven’t created my best one yet.”
Jonathan Aguilar is a visual journalist at Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service who is supported through a partnership between CatchLight Local and Report for America.
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Milwaukee, WI
Post From Community: Laughing Liberally Milwaukee | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
The Brewers drafted 20 players over the course of 20 rounds in the 2026 MLB Draft, including first-round shortstop Trey Ebel, second-round outfielder Sawyer Strosnider, Wilmot Union HS (Wisconsin) shortstop Chance Ruby, and CC Sabathia’s son, first baseman Carsten Sabathia III. The team now has until 4 p.m. CT on July 27 to sign each draft pick. We’ll keep track of the signees below.
Milwaukee’s total signing bonus pool is $8,042,900, which can be allocated as the team chooses (i.e., slot bonuses are not the guaranteed signing value). Rounds 11-20 automatically have $150,000 allocated to the slot — money given to these picks only counts toward the bonus pool if they exceed $150,000. Teams that exceed their bonus pool face financial penalties, with higher thresholds resulting in the loss of future picks.
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