Well, if Mintz comes back, there's a much better chance of Red Autry looking like a good coach than if he doesn't...
If Mintz comes back, offense from center and the second forward spot will be irrelevant. We'll be playing three guards and a forward most of the time, who will take 90% of the shots...
If Benny is as good next season as he ended last season, that will answer 3 and 5. Having a forward gunner to go with three driving guards who can keep you honest will be fun to watch.
I haven't looked to much into the lineup if Mintz doesn't come home, but my guess is:
McLeod, Williams, Bell, Westry, and Starling will be the starters.
Taylor, Copeland, Brown, and Hima fill out the rotation. Cuffe and Carey will have their chance to push into the lineup, but I don't have enough information to predict anything. Patterson seems very unlikely to see any minutes, and I kind of expect a redshirt with three guys (at least) ahead of him in the rotation.
This lineup is athletic and highly ranked, but will bea whole new team with so many unknowns. It will be a much bigger task for Red to sort into a good team. Mintz coming back would be such a godsend to this teams chances next year.