Steve Kerr recognized it immediately.

Before the Sacramento Kings even scored in a November game against Golden State last year, the Warriors’ head coach saw the distinct actions that were leading to an easy basket for his opponent.

That’s because he designed the play.

“It was really funny,” Kerr said. “I love to watch (then-Sacramento head coach) Dave Joerger’s offensive stuff, in the half court and on out-of-bounds plays. I have stolen a lot from him, so when he ran our play, against us, I just looked down the sideline and smiled at him.

“He put his hands up, like: ‘Sorry.’”

Kerr appreciated it because he’s among the best pickpockets in the game of thieves that involves all NBA coaches.

Taking a piece from every coach he played for in a 15-year career, including legends Lenny Wilkens, Gregg Popovich and Phil Jackson, Kerr joined the Warriors in 2014 and was immediately successful — five consecutive trips to the Finals, three of which Golden State won.

At 322-88 during his first five regular seasons, Kerr has the best winning percentage (.785) of all time. He could lose 45 games in a row and still be ahead of second-place Nick Nurse, who went 58-24 (.707) in his first season in Toronto, and third-place Jackson, who went 1,155-485 (.704) in 20 seasons.

“I’ve never felt like I’m this great innovator, like I’m going to make up great plays,” Kerr said. “So I watch other teams. If I see a play that I like, I install it in for us. I might vary it a little bit or adapt it to our personnel, but it’s not exactly being creative.”

Like all hoop heads, Kerr spends hours on end watching the NBA’s League Pass, and he can’t turn off his coaching brain. On any random night, James Laughlin might receive a seemingly cryptic text from Kerr, but the team’s video coordinator knows exactly what “Memphis, 2:39 left in the second quarter” means.

Laughlin finds the play that intrigued Kerr, clips the sequence and puts it in a video file that Kerr keeps on his computer. Kerr will huddle with his assistants the next day, ponder how the play might need to be tweaked for his roster and decide whether install it.

Working as an assistant coach for Team USA this summer, Kerr said he was even taking notes at the FIBA Basketball World Cup in China. Plays that work in the international game might not always work in the United States, but stealing other teams’ plays is quite common in the NBA.

Boston wunderkind Brad Stevens famously keeps a huge file of offensive sets and — to remind himself of the plays — names them after the architect. It’s common to hear Stevens say: “Let’s run the Spoelstra play,” an ode to Miami head coach Erik Spoelstra.

And the theft goes beyond just half-court sets and inbounds plays. NBA coaches will take entire playing styles from their counterparts.

The Warriors were No. 1 in the league in pace (determined by possessions per game) in 2014-15, Kerr’s first season and the franchise’s first championship in 40 years. They actually played at an accelerated pace in 2018-19, but the league had copied their style so much that the Warriors’ faster pace ranked only 17th.

“That’s flattering,” Kerr said. “It’s just like anything in life, you learn by watching others and experimenting with how it could work for you.”

Kerr doesn’t even wait to see and copycat certain things. Already a master of managing players’ egos, Kerr actively seeks intel on his roster from former coaches and teammates.

Shortly after he was hired by the Warriors, Kerr reached out to coach Tom Izzo, who developed a revered relationship with Draymond Green at Michigan State.

Already familiar with each other from Kerr’s days of covering the Final Four for TNT, Kerr and Izzo have stayed in contact during some of Green’s toughest days. Kerr called Izzo after Kerr and Green had a halftime locker room dustup in 2016 and again after Green was suspended by the franchise for his highly visible argument with Kevin Durant last season.

“I reached out to Tom as soon as I got the Warriors’ job, and I still lean on Tom to help me coach Draymond,” Kerr said. “When things get difficult, he’s a great ally for and a confidant for Draymond. He’s a natural person to help our process.”

That process has worked so well that it’s become a regular thing for Kerr. He made a cold call to then-Cincinnati head coach Mick Cronin after the Warriors drafted Jacob Evans in 2018.

Kerr didn’t feel comfortable calling former Michigan head coach John Beilein this year after the Warriors selected Jordan Poole in the first round, because there might have been a conflict of interest with Beilein having just taken the Cleveland Cavaliers’ job.

But Kerr called Jay Wright after the Warriors drafted second-rounder Eric Paschall and talked more about the former Villanova star throughout the summer work on the Team USA coaching staff.

“I’m always just looking to see if there is a spark or connection I can use to help coach a player,” Kerr said. “I just try to get a feel, any little tidbit that might help me.”

Wright told Kerr that Paschall can handle being yelled at, even to the point of getting called out in front of teammates during video sessions.

“Jay told me that right away, and he was right,” Kerr said. “He wants to be coached and will do anything for you.”

Kerr’s information gathering doesn’t stop with coach-to-coach conversations. He likes to pepper older players for intel, too.

The data Kerr obtained during several conversations with 12-year pro Willie Green eventually led Kerr to hire Green as an assistant coach. Green has since left the Warriors (he’s an assistant coach in Phoenix), just like Kerr’s former staffers — and now head coaches — Alvin Gentry (New Orleans) and Luke Walton (Lakers, then Kings).

Of course, those moves don’t stop the friendships, or the information exchanges. Kerr still regularly talks to his former assistants, and the conversations inevitably turn to basketball.

“The sharing of intel is a big part of this league,” Kerr said. “It’s a small fraternity. It’s like a family. We all sort of know each other. We end up working together. You stay in touch.

“You learn things about other teams. You’re always learning.”

And deciding what to steal.

Rusty Simmons is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: rsimmons@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @Rusty_SFChron