Minutes alone do not tell the whole story
Two players can play the same number of minutes and have very different experiences. Role, responsibility, opponent, game context and feedback all matter.
This is why development should not be reduced to a single number.
But game experience has unique value
Games expose timing, pressure, uncertainty and consequences in a way that isolated practice cannot fully reproduce. Players learn what they notice when tired, what they choose under pressure and how quickly they recover from a mistake.
Those experiences are part of development, not a reward that only begins after development is complete.
A pathway should be understandable
Not every player will have the same role at the same time. The important question is whether the player can understand what they are working toward and where the next opportunity may come from.
Vague messages such as 'get better first' are less useful than specific expectations and opportunities to test improvement.
Development environments can create more chances
Small-sided games, second units, mixed roles, development games and targeted competition can all increase meaningful participation without pretending every setting has identical objectives.
The design question is simple: how often does each player get to make basketball decisions that matter?