I have owned a kit for years and just lately been trying to play a bit more. My friend has asked me to play on some of his tunes so it is forcing me to use some discipline (and a click! ). Over the holidays I've seen a noticeable improvement in my takes . During this process, it has become obvious that I can hear myself anticipating upcoming fills and listening to the click, which ruins the timing and feel. The more comfortable i get with the tempo and patterns, the less I think about what I'm doing, the better it flows.
So, practice works! Who knew!
To answer the o.p.'s question, it isn't making me a better bassist, but the understanding of how the two work together can only be a good thing.