Three games into his career as a head coach and Brooklyn Nets tactician Steve Nash is managing loads like a seasoned veteran.

Coming off a 106-104 loss to the Charlotte Hornets on Sunday, Nash will rest both Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving for his team's matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies at the Barclays Center on Monday, the second leg of the first back-to-back of the 2020-21 season.

Nash explained the decision to hold out Durant and Irving, via Michael Scotto of HoopsHype:

“Just trying to be really measured with the demands on those guys and monitoring their adaptation back to the NBA,” the Nets coach shared. “Kevin hasn't played in 18 months coming off a career-threatening injury. Kyrie has had surgery. He's played 20 games in 18 months or more, so we've got to monitor it with all the demands placed on them and be able to protect them and their ongoing health.”

Durant, 32, missed all of the 2019-20 season with an Achilles injury, while the 28-year-old Irving was limited to 20 games in his first season in Brooklyn due to shoulder woes–for which he underwent surgery over the summer.

The two All-Stars have been on the same schedule through three games, as both have averaged exactly 31.7 minutes per game.

Durant has put up 26.7 points on 53.2 percent shooting, while Irving is averaging 29.3 points (61.1 percent FG) and 6.0 assists per game.

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After opening the season with two impressive blowout victories over the Golden State Warriors and Boston Celtics, the Nets dropped their first game of the campaign on Sunday. Durant and Irving each played 36 minutes against Charlotte and combined for 54 points on 19-of-32 shooting from the field in the loss.

There will be even more demand placed on Durant and Irving now that starting guard Spencer Dinwiddie has been diagnosed with a partially torn right ACL. Dinwiddie suffered no further ligament damage in his knee, and his progress in rehab will determine whether he can return at some point late in the season.

In his absence, Steve Nash will likely move Caris LeVert into the starting five—as he was in 2019-20—while backup guards Tyler Johnson and Bruce Brown could see bigger roles as well.