Again, you will see when these kids get to campus and on the floor. I guess the best way to describe it is this, every Iowa player is "flawed" according to some, otherwise they would be getting 4* kids.
The way I look at the rankings and the way kids talk the talk and there have been Iowa players in the same situation, but they fail. Why is that? Take a look at what they said coming in about working hard and wanting to prove something, but fail. Look at the top 100 lists every year and see how many top 25 recruits are supposed to be so humble, but end up being a coaches nightmare. You are right about why kids become great, they bust their butts, but not all kids do, but say they have something to prove. The kids Iowa is brining in don't have to world by the tail because of thier "flaws." That said, look at the sense of purpose these freshman will be playing with. The kids Iowa is brining in have a chip on their shoulder with something to prove, the newcomers last season played like that, so I would expect nothing different than that from every group. Are there going to be kids that won't push themselves, yeah it does come down to the individual. The sample size is small to date, but if the three incoming freshman play with the urgency and purpose that the four newcomers from last year did, then Iowa will improve yet again.
The other thing, is watch all the players on the court, watch their mannerisms, don't just watch the ball and you will be amazed at how player act and react in situations. Maybe you do, I don't know that, one thing I find myself doing is watching off the ball so much more than anything, it is just what I do from coaching and have to see everything from my team and the other team.
If you think the generational difference isn't real, then you aren't paying attention. Every generation does not think the same, kids are protected by thier parents from any negativity and it shows in work ethics in kids today. There are kids that work hard, but the average kids don't work as hard anymore. There are situations out there, too many, in fact that discourage the average kid that could develop. Coaches have to be perfect because the kids they coach are...yeah right, the culture is so different when every 5'2" kids' parent think they are a Division I player. It is different, it is amazing to think that coaches continue to put themselves through it. Find one coach that has been around for 15 years, or more that will say kids have stayed the same. There are situations and settings it hasn't, your private schools, otherwise the athletes wouldn't be there, they pay to go there, so it is a little different.
Great athletes and players would be great in any generation, that is a no-brainer, but a lot of others would never make it in past generations. Look at the overall depth in basketball pro and college today, there are not as many great players as there used to be.