Valid point. In addition to technical optimizations besides SSR, you can make perceived improvements too. If you get a first initial paint in one second lets says, you're not going to hurt engagement. There are plenty of tricks you can pull out first before you need SSR.
Sure if you're using Node.js pull out SSR first since its easier. But for Python right now, it's not the easiest thing.
The first view is the most important view, and making it faster is often the most beneficial thing you could do for engagement.