National Basketball Association

As Kyrie's World Turns

Updated Jan. 13, 2021 5:32 p.m. ET

Kyrie Irving might be best described as unpredictable.

Irving's quick-twitch movements and otherworldly ball handling often keep defenders on their toes and fans on the edges of their seats.

But off the court, his unpredictable nature has so far proven problematic for the Brooklyn Nets in just Irving's second season with the franchise.

Irving has been away from the Nets for the past seven days, and it remains unclear why he has been absent or when he will return.

Here is a timeline of Irving's season thus far – and how he and the Nets arrived at this point.

Dec. 22-25: Smooth sailin'

Irving and the new-look Nets made their much-anticipated season debut against Golden State, securing a 125-99 win against the Warriors on Dec. 22.

They followed that with a 123-95 win against the Boston Celtics on Christmas Day.

Irving averaged 31.5 points through two games, leading the Nets in scoring, and Brooklyn looked unstoppable.

Dec. 27-Jan. 3: Brooklyn backslide

As dominant as the Nets appeared through their first two games, the next five games were not as kind to them.

Between Dec. 27 and Jan. 3, the Nets lost four out of five, including to the Charlotte Hornets, Memphis Grizzlies, Atlanta Hawks and Washington Wizards.

Irving missed the game against the Grizzlies but took the court in the other three losses, and after leading the Nets in scoring the first two games, he didn't sit atop the scoring chart once during this stretch of losses.

The final loss to the Wizards culminated with both Irving and Kevin Durant missing potential game-winning shots.

Jan. 5: Nets, Irving defeat Utah without Durant

With Durant absent, Irving and the Nets got back to their winning ways, defeating the Jazz 130-96 on Jan. 5.

Irving led the way with 29 points, six rebounds and five assists in 30 minutes of action.

Jan. 7-10: The absence begins

Shortly before tip-off of the Nets' matchup on Jan. 7 with the Philadelphia 76ers, it was announced that Irving would miss the game because of personal reasons.

The "personal reasons" weren't shared with head coach Steve Nash, who was unaware of the reason for Irving's absence.

With Durant sidelined because of COVID-19 health and safety protocols, the Nets pulled off a 122-109 win without their two best players.

After the game, it was reported that Irving would not travel with the team to Memphis for the game the following night against the Grizzlies.

Irving missed the game at Memphis and the following contest in Oklahoma City against the Thunder.

The Nets lost both games.

Jan. 11-12: Video of Irving at club surfaces, fallout ensues

While Irving was out for personal reasons, he took time to attend his sister's 30th birthday party.

In a video of the event, Irving is seen maskless in an area with a large crowd of people.

He has yet to comment publicly on the video, but Nets general manager Sean Marks issued a statement on behalf of the team.

After the video surfaced, the NBA launched an investigation into the incident to determine whether the gathering violated the league's COVID-19 health and safety protocols.

If Irving is found to have violated any league protocols, he could be subject to a hefty fine.

ESPN's Stephen A. Smith detailed why the latest incident with Irving should be a cause for concern for the Brooklyn Nets.

"Eighteen months after signing a four-year, $141 million deal, Kyrie Irving has only played 27 games ... There was the injury, a preseason media boycott, burning sage at TD Garden, an absence for personal reasons, and now he's completely off the grid, with the NBA investigating whether he was maskless at a family party."

It is unclear when Irving will rejoin the Nets, but he is reportedly out for the remainder of this week and into the weekend.

And with that, the Kyrie Irving Brooklyn saga continues.