Exactly right. Though I’d say that even on relatively simple sketches, if you have to add or scale more than a dozen or so coordinates, the translate() and scale() calls will be worth it. The transformations are combined into a single matrix and ALL Processing graphics call coordinates are multiplied by that matrix whether you have made any transformation calls or not, so transformations will likely be faster than doing the math yourself.
The transformation stack is a tool of convenience. Any time it’s less convenient to use it, just don’t.