does a player's WE really determine how much a player will impove over the years? I mean I've had 2 players, 1 with a WE of like 50, and 1 with a WE of like 70, and over the 4 years they played for me they both improved about the same. Is a player's improvement  based on their potential or does WE have a factor?

A player's growth is based strictly on his potential. WE* simply influences how quickly he will get there.


* along with playing time and practice minutes dedicated to the skill

I'd agree with the exception of players whose work ethic/playing time/practice aren't enough to get them to their potential.  WE only determines rate, but if the rate is slow enough you won't get there in 4 years.

Think of it this way- every player has a cap for each category based on potential.  I'm in analogy mode, so we'll say a bucket that can hold so much water.  Practice minutes are the faucets you can turn on to fill the buckets, and WE determines the water pressure.  With low pressure, but a small bucket, you can fill it.  But low pressure and a really big bucket...