So the debbie downers aside and without knowing what transfers come in, that lineup I think by the end of the year will be fun to watch. I've seen several posts that are down on Morton being a PG, but he is an exceptional passer and that is what the PG role is (mainly) in Painter's system.
Now, I think Painter is adapting as the game changes because he is no fool, but I still see this as a close to 20 win team with a 4th or 5th place conference finish.
Our weakest spot is of course the PG and we'll have bumps along the way, but I have little doubt Painter knows this team top to bottom better than any of us on here and is preparing for the scenario that NIL kills our chances to get a solid PG transfer. But we shall see.
Next season is without a doubt a rebuilding year for us, but let's take that in to context. A LOT of programs sink to the bottom when they rebuild, but Painter has really upped his recruiting (well, before NIL screwed it all up) and we already know he is a fantastic coach so our drop off won't be as bad.
This year will be fun to watch because we're relatively young yet have a lot of weapons and by the end of the season, we could surprise a lot of people. And that isn't me being overly optimistic either, that is just looking at the reality of things right now. It all could tank just as easily.