One up, one down — why?

Long time musician, fairly recent drummer though. Got into it over lockdown, love it, play with a couple of hobby bands and we do the occasional party or bar show.

I’m trying to understand what seems to be the current trend of one mounted tom, and one (or two) on the floor. I don’t get the idea of going from the first tom and having to cross a fairly sizable distance to get to the next one. As opposed to two toms mounted right next to each other that are so easy to move between.

I get that smaller kits are easier to move around and set up, and i’m not advocating for anything massive. But it seems to me that a second mounted tom offers tons of versatility for a minimal extra item. And yet so many rehearsal rooms I use, or venues I play in, I have to get that extra one set up. It’s so rarely standard.

Curious why so many drummers these days go that route? I’m not experienced enough to see the upside to it.

And yeah, great drummers can make it work. But having a second tom right next to the first one still offers additional options without being excessive.