It would be fun as a fan to make the playoffs, but that's about the only real benefit. I'm not buying the belief that 4 to 6 games vs the Hawks will impact our players development much, if at all. That said, I think all these playoff like regular season games, with us trying to simply make the playoffs, is great experience.
The available players at 10 vs 15 has a considerable drop off. Below is Chad Ford's top 20 as an approximation of who will be taken where. I definitely see a huge drop in talent after the #12 pick. So I answer the initial question by saying not making the playoffs, but having playoff like experience anyways, and selecting Turner, Oubre, or Johnson is much better than making the playoffs, simply for a few more games of experience, and coming away with Pope, Lyles, or Poeltl.
RK PLAYER NAME AGE POS HT WT SCHOOL/COUNTRY PROJECTION
1 Jahlil Okafor 19 C 6-11 275 Duke Top 5 Pick
Mar 23 Update: Okafor has been No. 1 all year in our Top 100. ...more
2 Karl-Anthony Towns 19 C 6-11 250 Kentucky Top 5 Pick
Mar 23 Update: Karl-Anthony Towns had one of the best games of his career ...more
3 Emmanuel Mudiay 19 PG 6-5 196 China Top 5 Pick
Mar 11 Update: We went all-in on Mudiay last week. I wrote a feature ...more
4 D'Angelo Russell 19 PG 6-5 176 Ohio State Top 5 Pick
Mar 23 Update: It was a tale of two very different games for Russell ...more
5 Kristaps Porzingis 19 PF 6-11 220 Latvia Top 5 Pick
Mar 11 Update: Porzingis is averaging 11.6 PPG | 4.1 RPG | 46% 3FG ...more
6 Justise Winslow 18 SF 6-6 222 Duke Top 10 Pick
Mar 23 Update: In the past five months we've had four different wings -- ...more
7 Kevon Looney 19 PF 6-10 210 UCLA Top 10 Pick
Mar 23 Update: Looney suffered a facial fracture in the Pac 12 tournament and ...more
8 Willie Cauley-Stein 21 C 7-0 240 Kentucky Top 10 Pick
Mar 23 Update: Cauley-Stein was quiet offensively, but had 11 rebounds and two blocks ...more
9 Mario Hezonja 20 SF 6-7 200 Croatia Top 10 Pick
Mar 23 Update: And on a side note -- Mario Hezonja had zero points ...more
10 Myles Turner 19 PF 7-0 240 Texas Top 10 Pick
Mar 23 Update: Turner's game against Butler was a mixed bag. He scored just ...more
11 Kelly Oubre 19 SF 6-7 204 Kansas Lottery Pick
Mar 23 Update: Oubre didn't dominate either game. He was better on Friday against ...more
12 Stanley Johnson 18 SF 6-7 237 Arizona Lottery Pick
Mar 23 Update:Johnson cleaned up against Texas Southern on Thursday, scoring 22 points and ...more
13 Frank Kaminsky 21 C 7-0 234 Wisconsin Lottery Pick
Mar 23 Update: Kaminsky has moved into the discussion for a lottery pick and ...more
14 Bobby Portis 20 PF 6-11 231 Arkansas Lottery Pick
Mar 23 Update: Portis had a very rough shooting tournament. He went 10-for-27 from ...more
15 Malik Pope 18 SF 6-10 205 San Diego State Mid First Round Pick
Mar 23 Update: Pope was solid, but not spectacular in the tournament. His line ...more
16 Trey Lyles 19 PF 6-10 235 Kentucky Mid-First Round Pick
Mar 23 Update: Trey Lyles has been one of Kentucky's strongest players over the ...more
17 Jakob Poeltl 19 C 7-0 230 Utah Mid-First Round Pick
Mar 23 Update: Wright has been getting most of the accolades this year, but ...more
18 R.J. Hunter 21 SG 6-5 185 Georgia St Mid-First Round Pick
Mar 23 Update:Hunter was the new march Madness darling on Thursday after his go ...more
19 Devin Booker 18 SG 6-6 195 Kentucky Mid First Round Pick
Mar 23 Update:Devin Booker's shooting slump continues. He shot a combined 4-for-15 from the ...more
20 Kris Dunn 21 PG 6-3 180 Providence Mid-First Round Pick
Mar 23 Update: The downside of Dunn was on full display against Dayton on ...more