I would say we are already adapting. Last season: 642 3 pt. FGA and we made 32.6% of those shots. This season: 852 3 pt. FGA, and we made 37.2% of those shots. To some degree that's an effect of losing Nance and Cooke, but I saw perimeter shooting and spacing as a bigger component of our offense this season.
For next year, I think the two keys to a successful season will be:
1. Will Alan Herndon put in the time to work on his jumper such that he can reliably make 35% or more of his threes? We've been told that his destiny is as a stretch 4 and that would appear to fit his body type and skill set. He has a decent shooting stroke but going into his junior year it is put up or shut up time with his ability from beyond the arc. I hear a lot about how he needs to eat and get in the weight room so he can be an interior presence, blah blah blah, but that's not what he's supposed to be bringing to this team. The way this roster is constructed and in the freedom of movement/pace and space direction basketball is going, the only way he can really be a part of a championship team is if he can shoot. He isn't bringing rim protection or rebounding, so we have to play one of Naughton or Barnes with him on the floor. He's not a low-post offense guy and that's where Naughton/Barnes should be living anyways. Mr. Herndon needs to get in the gym and shoot until his arms fall off every day.
(To a lesser extent, this is all true of Dalton as well.)
2. Will Justin James develop into the playmaker we need in the post-Adams era? He's the only one on the roster for next season who you can say is really capable of breaking down defenses and getting his own shot. We need him to be the guy who gets the ball late in the shot clock when the play has broken down. His length allows him to shoot over people and he is already a decent three-point shooter. He can put the ball on the floor if you crowd him. He's been touted as a guy with point-guard skills. He has to be the creator and he has to show good decision-making. That was the thing in Adams' game that took the longest to develop. James won't have that luxury. He will have to be the go-to guy starting next year. This team will be lacking an offensive alpha-dog. I expect McManamen to be the emotional leader of the team, but he's not the guy who is going to get the ball with 8 seconds on the shot clock in crunch time and say "I got this." For me right now, that guy has to be James.
Honestly, our roster sets up really nicely in terms of who fills what roles for next year:
1: Lieberman (starter) - He will be the primary ballhandler. He got valuable experience in the second half of the season especially after Washington left. His confidence seemed to improve as the season went along. He ended the season at 34.5% from 3 pt. distance even after his disastrous start. He demonstrated good decision-making as he was asked to take on a bigger role. I expect him to be a solid starting PG - league average. It's possible we'll see him with Conway together at times if we decide to go small.
Conway (backup) - We haven't really seen him play but from what we know, he's jet-quick and disruptive. He should be a nice change-of-pace type as a redshirt freshman who can spell Lieberman and give a different dimension to the team.
2/3: McManamen (starter) - As I noted before, he'll be the emotional leader. What can you say about him? He's improved every year in all facets of the game, he's arguably the best shooter in the conference, he defends three positions, and he has a knack for hitting big shots in big situations. He is this team's most valuable player next season and should challenge for first-team all-conference honors.
Justin James (starter) - discussed above. He has to step up.
Aka-Gorski (backup) - He's the player I think would be squeezed out if we shortened the bench to go to an 8 man rotation. Still, he's a good shooter and can fill a role as a three-point specialist. It's hard to see what else he's bringing to the table for a championship-caliber team though.
Marshall (backup) - It's apparent he is utterly clueless defensively (and it's not clear he really understands what we're doing with the ball either), and unless he rectifies that he will continue be a garbage-time only player.
4: Herndon (starter) - also discussed above. He has to be a real threat facing the basket to stretch defenses out. If he becomes a weapon in pick-and-pop and spot-up situations it will really open things up for the rest of the offense.
Dalton (backup) - Right now he's a slightly better rebounder and defender than Herndon but more limited offensively. They're overall pretty duplicative of each other and if they play together for long stretches we will have problems getting stops.
5: Naughton (starter) - I think he grows into a starting role next season but more or less shares time with Barnes. Like Herndon/Dalton these two guys are providing many of the same things and can't really play together for much time. Naughton's a grinder and could really grow into a space-eater on the block on both ends next year. He's shown flashes of offensive ability but really he'll get most of his points on putbacks and dishes off of penetration. He's got better hands than Barnes.
Barnes (backup) - He's the better defender of the two and that's really his most important contribution. Hopefully he grows into a more effective rebounder because that is the main deficiency in his game.
I don't know enough about Moemeka but I'm guessing he'll find it hard to break into the rotation.
Overall: I really think we have the pieces to be really good next year. What we have is complementary to one another; it isn't a team where you look at it and think the pieces just don't fit together. We have a logical rotation, a bit of flexibility to go big or small, and enough shooting to play a 4 in/1 out kind of system and stretch teams out. We'll need a couple of players to really make medium-sized leaps but I think they are capable of it, and assuming normal development curves for everyone else I think we'll be in the upper half of the conference again next year.