But we need the SMTs and other tools in order to drive demand for Steem. We all want to add value to Steem but there is only so much that content producers can do to drive demand for Steem with the current model. So by providing a bigger set of options for how people can add value to Steem this will allow people who have different skills to participate in building Steem up.
And you are correct it is possible if we just wait that eventually the price of Steem could go up on it's own but I think it's better to build the economy by adding value as much as we can to improve those odds.
Yes we need to expand the use case. Steem is unlikely to go up on its own as it is inflationary. We need to grow more than double per year to keep up with inflation. More than possible - if we expand the use case!