Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving has missed the last eight games due to a shoulder injury, and he is set to miss his ninth consecutive contest when the Nets face the Miami Heat on Sunday, according to Tim Bontemps of ESPN.

Head coach Kenny Atkinson says that Irving has been doing some “on court work” in practice, which he called a positive sign. However, Atkinson added that there is “no contact yet, to be clear,” per Anthony Puccio of NetsDaily.

What originally appeared to be a minor injury has turned into a semi-long-term thing for Irving and the Nets, so much so that Irving doesn't appear to have a clear timetable for his return.

The good news is that the Nets have been doing just fine in his absence. On Friday afternoon, they defeated Irving's former Boston Celtics squad by a score of 112-107 thanks to a 32-point, 11-assist performance from Spencer Dinwiddie.

Irving did not make what was a much-anticipated trip to Boston this past Wednesday, as C's fans serenaded him with “Where is Kyrie?” chants as the Celtics defeated Brooklyn by 11 points.

Of course, Irving spent two years in Boston before bolting the C's in free agency this past summer, inking a four-year deal with the Nets after promising Celtics fans he would re-sign with the club early last year.

In the 11 games Irving has played this season, he is averaging 28.5 points, 7.2 rebounds and 5.4 assists over 33.8 minutes per game while shooting 44.4 percent from the floor, 34.1 percent from 3-point range and 93.7 percent from the free-throw line.