My language development went from C -> C++ -> Java -> Python. So when I got there and figured out pip was a thing (or easy_install back in the day) it was a major innovation at the time.
Additionally, for anyone coming from almost all compiled native languages, a native environment like Rust with better dependency management than Python (which, as you say, and in retrospect, is pretty broken) is a bit of a mind screw.
The Python devs I worked with always envied me for npm. I asked them if they don't have something similar with pip, but seems like npm is a whole different level.
Cargo should even be better than npm.
On the other hand I always asked myself if they couldn't simply use Nix?
Additionally, for anyone coming from almost all compiled native languages, a native environment like Rust with better dependency management than Python (which, as you say, and in retrospect, is pretty broken) is a bit of a mind screw.