Yes, yes and yes!
However, it's been my personal experience that "old school" fans who refer to Jordan-era basketball as "physical" are referring to the elements of bad sportsmanship and outright brawling on the sidelines. I'm not sure that I'd agree that 80s and 90s era basketball is a more "physically punishing game." I think if you look at lot of the big stars like Giannis, Bron and KD, they are constantly moving around the court and testing the limits of their endurance in many games. At least KD and Bron are on the court like, 99% of a game, and the whole time they are dominating by asserting their presence on both sides of the court. Not saying old school players didn't do this, but its pretty much a mandatory strategy nowadays. It's why a player like Zion is so dangerous, because he is a solid wall of muscle that should be playing a sport like football or something. I think that's the type of player that going to be in demand in future seasons. Somebody with a lot of muscle and physicality.
@LCT_m_a_d
Also strongly agree! It's easy to sell people Kobe and Jordan because they are larger than life players. Bron is a tougher sell. I liked the "last dance" documentary because they touched on the legacy of race for players. Bron has always been outspoken about racial justice and it does not help him in the court of public opinion. Social justice warriors love to present the issue as a dichotomy like "all people of color love and appreciate what lebron does for racial justice, while conservatives and white fans hate him." I think its more complicated than that. I know fans of color who want to see him "stick to basketball" (I cant remember what the quote is) and stop running his mouth about racism and politics. Its a turn off for a lot of people.
In terms of accomplishments, even if he gets everything jordan ever got (the rings, a space jam movie etc.) it won't be enough because Jordan did it FIRST. This is not my opinion but it's how public opinion works. I think Bron has the kind of ego where he would rather die on the basketball court than be second best at anything. He is coming for those rings.