Hall of Fame point guard Isiah Thomas is as tough as they come. Small as he might be, the six-time All-Star was the cornerstone of the infamous “Bad Boys” Detroit Pistons from the 1980s. Thomas is well aware of the altercation Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic was recently involved in and the NBA icon just had to weigh in on the issue at hand.

According to Thomas, people have been underestimating Jokic and his toughness. In his mind, the Pistons legend believes that Monday's incident against the Miami Heat serves as clear evidence of the same:

“I don't think people realize how tough (Jokic) truly is,” Thomas said, via Orlando Silva of Fadeaway World. “That's no act. You see everybody ran up on him, and then they backed up off him.”

For those that need a refresher, here's what went down between the Nuggets star and Markieff Morris of the Heat:

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LeBron James and Anthony Davis looking upset/angry/frustrated from tonight's game. Nikola Jokic in the background, from tonight's game.

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As Thomas pointed out in his comments above, a couple of Heat players initially ran up to Jokic right after he shoved Morris to the ground. Tyler Herro, for instance, made a quick business decision and opted not to get up on Jokic's grill when he had the opportunity. Jimmy Butler, on the other hand, is an altogether different situation.

With this statement from a true bad boy in Isiah Thomas, one has to wonder if Nikola Jokic's easygoing demeanor works against him in terms of building up his tough-guy reputation. Then again, maybe it doesn't matter to the Nuggets big man anyway. After all, he clearly isn't the type to back down whenever an opportunity presents itself.