The teams tip off again tonight at the Pettigrew-Green Arena, Taradale, and he'll play.
"The things I've had have been pretty bad - the little quad thing is not a big deal - but, you know, that's the hardest part when something requires surgery it comes down to getting yourself over that psychological barrier," said Pledger, who felt he did that at the end of last year towards the end of the Breakers' stint and the domestic season.
"We have a lot new faces both on the team and the coaching staff and it's going well. We have only been together for just over a week."
For the Breakers it was about tweaking their systems.
"The goal from here is to continue to get better in the next game before the third one down in Invercargill on Saturday when we should be even better."
The franchise's two new American imports, point guard Ben Woodside, and 2.06m forward Akil Mitchell have been fitting in quite well.
"We didn't shoot the ball great [on Tuesday night] but I thought, overall, our defence was pretty solid considering they have a lot firepower in that team so holding them to around 80 points in the first-up defensive effort isn't bad but there's still a lot to work on."
So how has the Breakers beast mutated from last season to this?
"I think we have a lot more outside shooting [from Woodside]. If you look at his percentages from college and his years playing in Europe he's a pretty good three-point and three-third shooter."
Add to that the shooting prowess of guards Corey Webster and Kirk Penney as well as swingman Tom Abercrombie and the Breakers have enough enough ingredients for an exciting recipe.
"Pretty much whatever line up we have on the floor you'll knock down 40-plus points from three-point shooters out there on the perimeter so we'll have a constant threat from anywhere," he said.
Pledger championed the Breakers' versatility on the foundation of how many players can switch to multiple positions.
"We have big line up, we have small line up ... so we can play a lot of different styles."
He didn't think there were any variables the Breakers could not match up if the oppositions decided to catch them on the hop.
No pressure but the Breakers faithful should feel a playoffs berth is a given this season?
"You don't want to guarantee anything so early in the season, of course, when we haven't seen too many other teams," he said but felt there was some licence to be a little buoyant going forward to make the playoffs and compete for the crown.
Asked to reflect on how the team have evolved with coach Paul Henare at the helm, with Judd Flavell and Michael Fitchett as his assistants, Pledger said it was exciting times.
"Obviously Paulie being a New Zealander and a foundation Breaker, he has a lot of pride in the club and it's a tradition he's looking to continue if he's going to put his own brand and style on things," he said, adding Napier-born Henare was instrumental in creating the culture and values of the franchise so it's something he would reinforce as a mentor.
Pledger urged the Hawke's Bay fans to support the Breakers tonight as well as savour what Brisbane had to offer with their Kiwi flavour.
"If you have nothing to do in the night come down to the Pettigrew-Green Arena to see an exciting game."
Rookie forward Rob Loe, 25, who stands at 2.10m, said it was awesome to be home and playing before family and friends.
English-born, Auckland raised Loe wasn't banking on minutes but delighted to be part of a campaign to add to the Breakers' legacy.
"It was definitely one of my dreams growing up and while I was in the Breakers academy so I always thought I'd come back to be part of the Breakers family," said the ex-US College player.
HBHS player Devante Miller, 17, soaked up tips during a coach/player development session last night at the PG Arena.
"We were told to put away our cellphones and do what we have to do even if it's financial," said the point guard of advice from Bullets coach Andrej Lemanis.
