Bagley appeared in 13 games (six starts) for Sacramento during the pandemic-shortened 2019-20 season. The second-year big man started and played 28 minutes during the season opener on Oct. 23, posting a 14-point, 10-rebounds double-double against Phoenix. A thumb fracture then kept him out of action until Dec. 11, when he returned with 11 points, six boards and a block during a home win over the Thunder. On Dec. 21, Bagley again double-doubled with 11 points, 11 rebounds, two dimes and two steals in a loss at Memphis. Five nights later, he scored a season-high 18 points with four boards in a close loss to the Timberwolves. A foot sprain then forced an eight-game absence. Bagley returned Jan. 13 and matched his season best with another 18 points versus the Magic. That effort was part of a four-game run in which Bagley averaged 15.5 points, 8.8 rebounds and 1.0 blocks per contest. A 15-point, 15-rebound double-double against the Heat on Jan. 20 ended up being his last game of the season, as a recurrence of his foot injury kept him out for the remainder of the campaign. Bagley finished with averages of 14.2 points, 7.5 rebounds and 0.9 blocks per game while shooting a much-improved 80.6 percent from the free-throw line.

Taken second overall in the 2018 NBA Draft, Bagley enjoyed a successful debut season with Sacramento. He finished with 14.9 points and 7.6 rebounds across 25.3 minutes per game, but it really was a story of two seasons for the Duke product. Injuries limited Bagley early in the year, and he averaged 12.9 points and 6.6 rebounds in 23.6 minutes per game between October and January. However, from February on, he averaged 17.8 points and 9.1 rebounds in 27.8 minutes per game. Bagley put up his solid numbers as a reserve, starting four times in 62 games played. In those four starts, he made the case for staying in the lineup with 20.0 points, 11.5 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game. Bagley's best scoring game of the season -- 32 points on 10-of-15 shooting against Phoenix on Feb. 10 -- came in a contest he did not start. His season high of 17 rebounds also came in a bench appearance on Nov. 24 against Golden State. Bagley put up his scoring numbers on 50.4 percent shooting from the field, 31.3 percent shooting from 3-point range and 69.1 percent shooting from the free-throw line. He also added a block per game to round out a productive rookie campaign.