I think Polynice has to start next year, and I think he would've started even if Huertas returned. The reason is, though he's not a very good shooter, he's great at getting to the rim and scoring, a lot better than Huertas at that, and most importantly, Polynice is our best defender. You have to start your best defender, because you're going to need to have him on the floor to match up with the opposing team's best scorer.
You're right though that Polynice's spot is the only guard spot that you could've argued Huertas could take. I don't think you could have argued taking Warren or Terrico out of the starting line up in favor of Huertas.