Perth Wildcats guard Damian Martin is eager to play more minutes in the coming weeks - but his first challenge is just getting someone to understand him.
Martin made a shock early return from a broken jaw in last Friday's 86-80 win over the New Zealand Breakers at Perth Arena.
The 31-year-old, who had his jaw broken and teeth displaced by a Brian Conklin elbow on November 4, made it through six minutes in his return game against the Breakers.
Martin's comeback was three weeks earlier than initially expected, and he'll have to wear both an upper and lower mouthguard for the rest of his career in order to minimise the risk of further injury.
The star guard is now hoping to play between 10 to 15 minutes in Wednesday night's re-match against the Breakers in NZ.
But whether his request will be granted - or even understood - remains to be seen.
"I felt great out there," Martin said.
"The only difference was when I went to call plays, I found Tommy Jervis laughing at me because he couldn't understand a word I was saying with my mouthguards in.
"So I spent half the time outside the huddle trying to get the mouthguards out so I could talk properly.
"I only got to play those five minutes in the first half, but I knew that going into the game.
"Even for those five minutes, I was like a little kid on Christmas Day. Hopefully those minutes will increase now."
Martin missed the start of the season because of a calf niggle, and said it was frustrating to be limited by a jaw injury now that the rest of his body had healed.
"In a way, I'm fitter than I was when I was trying to return from a calf (injury)," Martin said.
"It is a different feeling when you're sitting there and your legs feel great and everything is feeling pretty fresh.
"But I've still got to be cautious of my teeth and I've got to remind myself of that, because at times I've found myself a bit frustrated wanting to be in there."
The Wildcats sit in second spot with a 9-4 record, while NZ (7-5) are third.
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