I'd argue the problem is a combination of citations and short-termism. We don't give researchers the space to do something novel, because institutions demand results in the short term. If you give someone a tangible, quantifiable demand A and a nebulous, low-priority demand B, they will spend nearly 100% of their time chasing A. Truly novel results can take months or years of hard focus; every grant proposal, teaching duty, and routine publication is a distraction.
> Isn't there tremendous real value in meta-analysis?
There's also tremendous value in doing the dishes and mopping the floor. Without it we'd get diseases and live in filth. And when we do this, we should be respected and appreciated. But - not as brilliant trail-blazers.