Does "stat-growth" mean less max stats?

I was reading on the Wikia about the International Version and i read this

such as an Expert Sphere Grid, which allows for accessing abilities more easily, but less overall stat-growth.

Now i started with the Expert Grid because i remember it looked as if there was less Lock Nodes (as i could get Tidas to start gaining some of Auron's Nodes without needing to use a key Sphere).

However i am wondering, what it says "less overall stat-growth" does this mean than i gain stats slower because alot of the nodes deviant off a character's main path or that in total the Expert Grid will give less stats than the standard Grid?

in total the Expert Grid will give less stats than the standard Grid

I believe this is the answer. According to the Sphere Grid article on the same wiki, there are 85 unremovable nodes on either the Standard or Expert Grid, but the Standard Grid contains 775 other nodes you can manipulate or replace, while the Expert Grid contains only 707. That means you'll have 68 fewer nodes you can use to increase your stats.