Sorry for writing in a thread that's been dead for almost two years, but if it's pinned up it means they still consider it interesting.
My opinion as a newbie to the game (I haven't had a full season) is that the game has many interesting and challenging things to make me stay.
Not having to pay to win.
The development of a long-term plan.
But the one that seems to attract the most is the training.
On this last issue I agree that it should not be made easier. But in my opinion it should be more real, and let me explain.
In the reality of sport, not all players can be developed to the maximum. Depending on his limitations (potential), the coaches and random circumstances, a player who could reach 100% remains at 80% or 50%, but as I see many rookie players who have less than maximum potential remain far behind. below these numbers since they practically never train.
On the one hand, I see it very well that young players have to play minutes in positions that are not their favorite to improve certain skills.
But "forcing" them to play 48 minutes in a game to optimize their training involves several negative and unrealistic things.
1) They have to exhaust themselves in a match, performing even worse than they already have due to their low development and experience.
2) They cannot play in the "coaching" position in another match because they must give way exclusively to other trainable young players. What affects the team's sporting performance.
3) In-game training depends exclusively on the matches.
My opinion as a basketball player and coach is that skill improvement occurs in training and is fixed and enhanced in games.
I have not found data on the minutes needed but from what I have read a player with:
48 Min train 100%
40 min train???
<4 min train 0%?
If I understand it correctly, the only way to optimize training is to train only 3 players per week, making each one play a full game.
I don't think the limitation of training only three, or 6 per week should be changed, but what doesn't enter my head is playing 48 minutes in a single game.
If there was a way to make the three distribute the minutes evenly, it would be great.
I put one as a starter, another as a substitute and another as a reserve in each game and that's it.
But this is not possible, I think.
Because if I do it, one can play 56 minutes, another 48 and another 40, improving the first two 100% and the third, let's say 80%. Or worse one 60 another 45 and another 39 with which only one would train 100%
This means that I have not optimized the training and we all always want to optimize resources and the scarcer they are, the more so. This means forcing 48-0-0 every week and that distances me from the reality of the sport.
The option that I have read in this thread of choosing the three/six who train that week and it doesn't matter if they play 10 or 48 or 72 minutes seems the most realistic to me.
I also understand that squaring up the minutes of play each week is considered a "mini-game" for many and that they entertain themselves with it during the time between one game and another.
I personally would prefer to play more games per week but I already know that it is the idiosyncrasy of the game and that cannot be changed. As I don't know who said: That's another story.
Having said all that, congratulations to the game developers for making it so fun.