1. Finishing eighth might mean having to face the Nuggets in the first round
Right now, the Denver Nuggets are in second place in the West, half a game behind the Timberwolves. Most people in and around the NBA agree that the road to the NBA Finals in the West leads through Denver, however, and they might very well still clinch the number one seed.
That would mean that they would face whoever comes out of the Play-In Tournament as the final playoff team. I think we can all agree that it is rather unlikely that the Kings will survive two Play-In games, but miracles can always happen. Nothing is set in stone until the games are over.
Making the playoffs despite that much adversity would obviously be a win for the Kings because the pick to the Hawks would convey, and Monk would see that the team still has potential. The goal this season was to take a step forward from last season, however, and that would be to win a playoff series.
We just saw the Miami Heat defeat the odds and make it all the way to the NBA Finals as the seventh seed last season, but that is not the norm, especially if you have to face one of the best teams in the league.
Minnesota and Oklahoma have both been amazing this season, but they are young, rather inexperienced, and unproven in the playoffs. Facing them in the first round is a much less scary idea than the reigning champions. Nikola Jokic and his team are not messing around and would probably get rid of the short-handed Kings quickly.