Video: James Harden, Chris Paul Play for 1st Time as Rockets Teammates

A video posted on Instagram early Wednesday morning showed James Harden and Chris Paul playing a pickup game together for the first time since CP3 was dealt to the Houston Rockets.

YouBall Training released the video featuring Harden and Paul playing on the same team:

Per TMZ Sports, Rockets teammate Trevor Ariza and free-agent center JaVale McGee also took part in the game.

The Rockets sent a package of players and draft picks including Lou Williams, Patrick Beverley, Sam Dekker and Montrezl Harrell to the Los Angeles Clippers in exchange for Paul this offseason.

Acquiring CP3 was a clear attempt to catch the Golden State Warriors, as Houston now has two perennial All-Stars after finishing third in the Western Conference last season.

Since both Harden and Paul are accustomed to dominating the ball, there were plenty of questions regarding their ability to coexist. Harden transitioned to point guard last season, but he has a great deal of experience playing off the ball at shooting guard.

Based solely on the video clips, Paul and Harden appeared to take turns running the point and acting as facilitators.

Harden and Paul have experienced playoff failures in recent years, with Harden suffering through his worst game of the season in a Game 6 loss to the San Antonio Spurs last year, and Paul never leading the Clippers past the second round.

The Rockets are putting their trust in that duo to get the team over the top, however, and there already appears to be some level of chemistry there.