post meta number of categories set to minimum of 2?

in the post meta, by default the theme seems to only display the categories used if there are 2 or more.

This is from the template-tags file (twentyseventeen_entry_footersection) in 2017

	// Make sure there's more than one category before displaying.
					if ( $categories_list && twentyseventeen_categorized_blog() ) {
						echo '<span class="cat-links">' . twentyseventeen_get_svg( array( 'icon' => 'folder-open' ) ) . '<span class="screen-reader-text">' . __( 'Categories', 'twentyseventeen' ) . '</span>' . $categories_list . '</span>';
					}

and twentyseventeen_categorized_blog() is defined further down in template-tags as

/**
 * Returns true if a blog has more than 1 category.
 *
 * @return bool
 */
function twentyseventeen_categorized_blog() {
	$category_count = get_transient( 'twentyseventeen_categories' );

	if ( false === $category_count ) {
		// Create an array of all the categories that are attached to posts.
		$categories = get_categories(
			array(
				'fields'     => 'ids',
				'hide_empty' => 1,
				// We only need to know if there is more than one category.
				'number'     => 2,
			)
		);

		// Count the number of categories that are attached to the posts.
		$category_count = count( $categories );

		set_transient( 'twentyseventeen_categories', $category_count );
	}

	// Allow viewing case of 0 or 1 categories in post preview.
	if ( is_preview() ) {
		return true;
	}

	return $category_count > 1;
}

I have changed this in the child theme in use by removing references to twentyseventeen_categorized_blog(). in twentyseventeen_entry_footer

if ( ! function_exists( 'twentyseventeen_entry_footer' ) ) :
    /**
     * Prints HTML with meta information for the categories, tags and comments.
     */
    function twentyseventeen_entry_footer() {

        /* translators: used between list items, there is a space after the comma */
        $separate_meta = __( ', ', 'twentyseventeen' );

        // Get Categories for posts.
        $categories_list = get_the_category_list( $separate_meta );

        // Get Tags for posts.
        $tags_list = get_the_tag_list( '', $separate_meta );

        // We don't want to output .entry-footer if it will be empty, so make sure its not.
        if ((( $categories_list)  || ($tags_list )) || get_edit_post_link() ) {

            echo '<footer class="entry-footer">';

            if ( 'post' === get_post_type() ) {
                if ( $categories_list || $tags_list ) {
                    echo '<span class="cat-tags-links">';

                        // Make sure there's more than one category before displaying.
                    if  ($categories_list)  {
                        echo '<span class="cat-links">' . twentyseventeen_get_svg( array( 'icon' => 'folder-open' ) ) . '<span class="screen-reader-text">' . __( 'Categories', 'twentyseventeen' ) . '</span>' . $categories_list . '</span>';
                    }

                    if ( $tags_list && ! is_wp_error( $tags_list ) ) {
                        echo '<span class="tags-links">' . twentyseventeen_get_svg( array( 'icon' => 'hashtag' ) ) . '<span class="screen-reader-text">' . __( 'Tags', 'twentyseventeen' ) . '</span>' . $tags_list . '</span>';
                    }

                    echo '</span>';
                }
            }

            twentyseventeen_edit_link();

            echo '</footer> <!-- .entry-footer -->';
        }
    }
endif;

and all works well. The post meta displays the category if there is only one category.

My concern is that this would appear to be a deliberate choice by the theme author.
Can doing what I have done have any negative effects.
I ask because the following function defined in template-tags file

/**
 * Flush out the transients used in twentyseventeen_categorized_blog.
 */
function twentyseventeen_category_transient_flusher() {
	if ( defined( 'DOING_AUTOSAVE' ) && DOING_AUTOSAVE ) {
		return;
	}
	// Like, beat it. Dig?
	delete_transient( 'twentyseventeen_categories' );
}
add_action( 'edit_category', 'twentyseventeen_category_transient_flusher' );
add_action( 'save_post', 'twentyseventeen_category_transient_flusher' );

appears to be linked / used / associated with/in the first 2 parts of the template-tags from above.

The page I need help with: [log in to see the link]