I think of Andre Geim as a great example of balancing the two. I couldn't find the exact quote, but he said something to the effect of "when I enter a new field, I make sure I learn the basics so I don't spend all my time making dumb mistakes. But I don't get so into it that I get stuck in the mindshare."

I'll also say I think that diversity in approaches is more important than One Right Way. Some people need to set out on their own, while others spend decades refining one technique. Both have led to extraordinary results!