Well if he has a Coadyesque turnaound to the season and becomes a lynchpin of the side (and scores some goals), feel free to remind me of this!
In answer to the first part of what you say, I will reiterate that I think he is being carried by other, better players around him. Of course I want to keep winning, but at present I am a long way from being persuaded that he is instrumental to it.
Your question is a very good point. I would say the following:
Remember that NC did bomb out quite a lot of dross - even to the point of paying Williams and King off! No-one is going to tell me these players, or Westlake, could have been improved. They needed transferring out, not clean slates.
Post xmas, NC augmented the team with Brayford, and already had Coady as well, both of whom are better than what we have now, which helped the less gifted players around them. Not to play down the role of Scougall. who who was brilliant, and Harris (who was good then!). So the first team was improved with good signings. But as you are probably alluding do, NC's genius in the latter half of last season was to get Murphy and Flynn playing well and being creative (and possibly Doyle after his aberration against Fulham). But we already knew Murphy was a good player, it just wasn't working for him. Can we really say the same about Basham? And Flynn, after his purple patch, has reverted to type a bit.
The pressing, deep-lying, counter-attacking side of the second half of last season didn't have as much of the ball that we are expected to have now. You need more skillful players if you are going to attempt to dominate teams, as we are now attempting to do. Last season the team worked exceptionally hard, but it is easier to play on the counter an in some ways more flattering to the team doing it. I don't see any of Basham's qualities as being helpful to this.
What is the point of scouts if not to make an evaluation on a player's quality based on a small sample size of their career? I'm no scout, but you have to wonder who watched Basham and thought he would be suitable for us.