Seems like some of Riot doesn't really like the game as it is

A lot of the new stuff they've introduced this season came from some cool ideas that didn't really fit with the game.

: They had this interesting vision of the jungle being a game in and of itself, and while the jungle isn't really in a bad state right now, that vision still hasn't happened. Blue Smite is the only one being used for it's intended purpose, and counterjungling hasn't been a thing all season so the "great game" between the junglers doesn't exist. We basically took the new tools and tried to use them to do what we were doing last season. Scuttle was supposed to be an important objective, but when have you ever seen a fight for scuttle during lane phase? They're usually just freely taken by whichever jungler can be bothered. I don't really mind the jungle as it is now, but their idea of what the jungle was supposed to be seemed amazing.

: The tunnel network was a great idea that didn't really translate into the game. There are a couple of simple plays you can make with one tunnel, but most people don't even bother and just play her like a . Another cool concept that ended up getting assimilated into what the game actually is.

: I kinda want to be generous with this guy, since I can see him working out on a 5s team that's practiced working with him. But that is not the majority of the playerbase, and he fundamentally puts all sorts of pressure on his own team, which is not how soloq is supposed to work (let's be honest, how much attention do you pay to what your allies are planning most of the time? There's a reason so many lanterns go ungrabbed). I won't say he belongs in a different game, but he only belongs in a small subset of this game: 5s and high elo.

I could go on, but the point is that Riot needs to design for the game they have, not the game they want. One new mechanic isn't going to drastically change the game, it's just going to get assimilated into the game we have. They were much better in this regard last season, when the projectile-blocking-wall champs were a reasonable effort to evolve the game.