Catching Strays | Knicks’ Andre Drummond is outrebounding Mitchell Robinson

This is Catching Strays, the Daily News' regular Knicks rundown for the quotes, stats and storylines that didn't make a headline.

Today: Early returns on Andre Drummond and Mitchell Robinson, Giannis Antetokounmpo responds to Doc Rivers' criticism, and where the Knicks rank on leaguewide leaderboards.

More boards. Fewer minutes. Better from the line.

The Knicks signed Andre Drummond to replace Mitchell Robinson, who left for the Boston Celtics as a free agent in the offseason. The idea was never that Drummond would be Robinson. It was that he would take the open job: the backup minutes behind Karl-Anthony Towns on a team attempting to repeat as NBA champions.

Nine games in, both sides of that comparison are on the table.

Drummond has come off the bench in all nine games. He is averaging 7.8 rebounds (three coming on the offensive glass) and five points in 13.3 minutes a night. Robinson has played nine games, too, but he began the season as a starter and has since taken on a role as backup to Celtics big man Neemias Queta. The ex-Knicks defensive anchor is averaging 6.4 points and 5.7 rebounds through his first nine games in Boston.

The difference in rebounding is even wider when factoring in that Robinson has played considerably more minutes than Drummond. Per 36 minutes, Drummond is averaging a towering 21 rebounds (the highest rate of his career), while Robinson sits at 10.9 per 36, marking a decline for him.

On top of that, Drummond is shooting 58% from the free throw line. Robinson has made a third of his attempts from the charity stripe this season. Drummond ranks second behind San Antonio's Tarris Reed Jr. in rebounds per 36 minutes (21). Robinson ranks 65th (10.1).

The last three games each actually played make the same point in a tighter window. Drummond has 26 rebounds in just under 40 minutes: nine in 13 minutes against Brooklyn, nine in 12 minutes against Chicago and eight in 14 minutes at Cleveland. Robinson has 24 rebounds over his last three games, but he played 53 minutes to get them. His last win came Sunday night in Milwaukee, when he finished with 12 points, seven rebounds (four offensive), four steals, two assists and a block in 18 minutes.

Nine games is still an early look. It is enough to put the two lines next to each other and see what the job looks like so far. Drummond is not Robinson. He is playing Mitch's minutes, however, and he is getting more rebounds in fewer of them.

Giannis speechless after Doc — then Christie piles on

Giannis Antetokounmpo was visibly frustrated when presented with comments made by his former Milwaukee Bucks head coach Doc Rivers, who questioned the two-time league MVP's basketball IQ in an episode of The Bill Simmons Podcast on Nov. 5.

"Oh my God, first of all, he's not my coach," Antetokounmpo said on Sunday. "My coach is coach [Erik Spoelstra], but he's a coach that I've worked with in the past. I'm speechless.

"You got to go ask him why he thought that. That's on him, that's not on me. I just got to focus on my team and what I got to do and how I can be better and how I can help the team. But that's crazy. Never let bitterness or pettiness get in front of your goals and dreams, man. For every athlete out there, never let that. That's insane. But you got to go ask him why he said what he said, not me."

Rivers, who is now an analyst for NBC, framed last season's exit as a dance neither side wanted to own. The Bucks eventually traded Antetokounmpo to the Miami Heat for a package headlined by Tyler Herro, young players and draft compensation.

"Giannis wanted out, but he was a Buck. And he didn't want to be the bad guy," Rivers said on the Nov. 5 episode. "He wanted [management] and those guys to say, 'We're trading you,' instead of him asking for a trade. To me, that was the game that was being played.

"I liked Giannis a lot. I liked him more as a dude," Rivers continued. "He's interesting. He's not easy. … He has this great passing ability, but he doesn't necessarily have this super IQ at the same time. … He really has one way: downhill, force, force. Every play, he wants to force it."

Antetokounmpo's response came after Miami's 114-108 win in Sacramento. The same night, Kings head coach Doug Christie was asked about the shot profile that let Antetokounmpo cook from midrange for 29 points and 14 rebounds. Christie was living with contested midrange looks — until they went in.

"You know, even the shot profile was Giannis shooting a mid-range, contested shot. We're living with that. Tonight, he knocked them down," Christie said. "I'll watch him next game, he probably won't."

Separately, Bill Simmons — on a later Bill Simmons Podcast segment circulating Monday — said the Celtics made the right call in the summer trade chase.

"Honestly, they made the right move with Giannis," Simmons said. "I don't think they wanted him. I saw him in person on Wednesday. I talked about him with Doc on Thursday, which started a two-day news cycle. But he [Giannis] is not the same guy that he was five years ago."

Shamet's threes are holding while he fills in for Hart

Landry Shamet has played all nine games and is 20-of-48 (.417) from three. He has started two — Nov. 4 against Chicago and Nov. 7 at Cleveland — with Josh Hart out both nights with right ankle soreness. That is nine games of volume and a percentage that has held while the starter minutes moved, but not a claim on a qualified league leaderboard.

The leaderboards that do count have other Knicks on them.

Karl-Anthony Towns is first in the league in double-doubles: nine in nine games, all points and rebounds. Giannis is next at eight, then Domantas Sabonis and Victor Wembanyama at seven. Towns also ranks second in rebounds at 13.6 a night, first in defensive rebounds at 10.2 (92 total), eighth in offensive rebounds at 3.3 and third in total rebounds at 122.

Jalen Brunson is ninth in scoring at 26.2 points a night. Andre Drummond is tied for 10th in offensive rebounds at three. Hart, in seven games, is seventh in steals at 2.1.

Tyler Kolek's number is the assist-to-turnover rate: nine-to-one — 36 assists and 4 turnovers in 87 minutes over seven games. Kolek is first in assists per 36 minutes (14.9) and assists per 100 possessions (20.7).