diff --git a/extensions-core/datasketches/src/main/java/org/apache/druid/query/aggregation/datasketches/hll/HllSketchHolderObjectStrategy.java b/extensions-core/datasketches/src/main/java/org/apache/druid/query/aggregation/datasketches/hll/HllSketchHolderObjectStrategy.java
index 93597a2621e..60b1cc87461 100644
--- a/extensions-core/datasketches/src/main/java/org/apache/druid/query/aggregation/datasketches/hll/HllSketchHolderObjectStrategy.java
+++ b/extensions-core/datasketches/src/main/java/org/apache/druid/query/aggregation/datasketches/hll/HllSketchHolderObjectStrategy.java
@@ -85,7 +85,7 @@ public class HllSketchHolderObjectStrategy implements ObjectStrategy<HllSketchHo
    * Checks the initial 8 byte header to find the type of internal sketch implementation, then uses the logic the
    * corresponding implementation uses to tell if a sketch is empty while deserializing it.
    */
-  private static boolean isSafeToConvertToNullSketch(ByteBuffer buf, int size)
+  static boolean isSafeToConvertToNullSketch(ByteBuffer buf, int size)
   {
     if (size < 8) {
       // Sanity check.
@@ -110,13 +110,14 @@ public class HllSketchHolderObjectStrategy implements ObjectStrategy<HllSketchHo
         int listCount = buf.get(position + 6) & 0xFF; // get(LIST_COUNT_BYTE) & 0xFF
         return listCount == 0;
       case 1: // SET
-        if (preInts != 3 || size < 9) {
+        if (preInts != 3 || size < 12) {
           // preInts should be HASH_SET_PREINTS, Sanity check.
-          // We also need to read an additional byte for Set implementations.
+          // We also need to read an additional int for Set implementations.
           return false;
         }
         // Based on org.apache.datasketches.hll.PreambleUtil.extractHashSetCount
-        int setCount = buf.get(position + 8);  // get(HASH_SET_COUNT_INT)
+        // Endianness of buf doesn't matter, since we're checking for equality with zero.
+        int setCount = buf.getInt(position + 8);  // getInt(HASH_SET_COUNT_INT)
         return setCount == 0;
       case 2: // HLL
         if (preInts != 10) {
diff --git a/extensions-core/datasketches/src/test/java/org/apache/druid/query/aggregation/datasketches/hll/HllSketchObjectStrategyTest.java b/extensions-core/datasketches/src/test/java/org/apache/druid/query/aggregation/datasketches/hll/HllSketchHolderObjectStrategyTest.java
similarity index 50%
rename from extensions-core/datasketches/src/test/java/org/apache/druid/query/aggregation/datasketches/hll/HllSketchObjectStrategyTest.java
rename to extensions-core/datasketches/src/test/java/org/apache/druid/query/aggregation/datasketches/hll/HllSketchHolderObjectStrategyTest.java
index 97eaf80fd64..c25135ef2d3 100644
--- a/extensions-core/datasketches/src/test/java/org/apache/druid/query/aggregation/datasketches/hll/HllSketchObjectStrategyTest.java
+++ b/extensions-core/datasketches/src/test/java/org/apache/druid/query/aggregation/datasketches/hll/HllSketchHolderObjectStrategyTest.java
@@ -21,14 +21,16 @@ package org.apache.druid.query.aggregation.datasketches.hll;
 
 import org.apache.datasketches.common.SketchesArgumentException;
 import org.apache.datasketches.hll.HllSketch;
+import org.apache.datasketches.hll.TgtHllType;
 import org.apache.druid.java.util.common.StringUtils;
 import org.junit.Assert;
 import org.junit.Test;
 
 import java.nio.ByteBuffer;
 import java.nio.ByteOrder;
+import java.util.Random;
 
-public class HllSketchObjectStrategyTest
+public class HllSketchHolderObjectStrategyTest
 {
   @Test
   public void testSafeRead()
@@ -74,4 +76,75 @@ public class HllSketchObjectStrategyTest
         () -> objectStrategy.fromByteBufferSafe(buf4, garbageLonger.length).getSketch().copy()
     );
   }
+
+  @Test
+  public void testHllSketchIsNullEquivalent()
+  {
+    final Random random = new Random(0);
+    for (final TgtHllType tgtHllType : TgtHllType.values()) {
+      for (int lgK = 7; lgK < 22; lgK++) {
+        for (int sz : new int[]{0, 1, 2, 127, 128, 129, 255, 256, 257, 511, 512, 513, 16383, 16384, 16385}) {
+          final String description = StringUtils.format("tgtHllType[%s], lgK[%s], sz[%s]", tgtHllType, lgK, sz);
+          final HllSketch sketch = new HllSketch(lgK, tgtHllType);
+          for (int i = 0; i < sz; i++) {
+            sketch.update(random.nextLong());
+          }
+
+          final boolean expectEmpty = sz == 0;
+
+          // --------------------------------
+          // Compact array, little endian buf
+          final byte[] compactBytes = sketch.toCompactByteArray();
+          // Add a byte of padding on either side
+          ByteBuffer buf = ByteBuffer.allocate(compactBytes.length + 2);
+          buf.order(ByteOrder.LITTLE_ENDIAN);
+          buf.position(1);
+          buf.put(compactBytes);
+          buf.position(1);
+          Assert.assertEquals(
+              "Compact array littleEndian " + description,
+              expectEmpty,
+              HllSketchHolderObjectStrategy.isSafeToConvertToNullSketch(buf, compactBytes.length)
+          );
+          Assert.assertEquals(1, buf.position());
+
+          // -----------------------------
+          // Compact array, big endian buf
+          buf.order(ByteOrder.BIG_ENDIAN);
+          Assert.assertEquals(
+              "Compact array bigEndian " + description,
+              expectEmpty,
+              HllSketchHolderObjectStrategy.isSafeToConvertToNullSketch(buf, compactBytes.length)
+          );
+          Assert.assertEquals(1, buf.position());
+
+          // ----------------------------------
+          // Updatable array, little endian buf
+          final byte[] updatableBytes = sketch.toUpdatableByteArray();
+          // Add a byte of padding on either side
+          buf = ByteBuffer.allocate(updatableBytes.length + 2);
+          buf.order(ByteOrder.LITTLE_ENDIAN);
+          buf.position(1);
+          buf.put(updatableBytes);
+          buf.position(1);
+          Assert.assertEquals(
+              "Updatable array littleEndian " + description,
+              expectEmpty,
+              HllSketchHolderObjectStrategy.isSafeToConvertToNullSketch(buf, updatableBytes.length)
+          );
+          Assert.assertEquals(1, buf.position());
+
+          // -------------------------------
+          // Updatable array, big endian buf
+          buf.order(ByteOrder.BIG_ENDIAN);
+          Assert.assertEquals(
+              "Updatable array bigEndian " + description,
+              expectEmpty,
+              HllSketchHolderObjectStrategy.isSafeToConvertToNullSketch(buf, updatableBytes.length)
+          );
+          Assert.assertEquals(1, buf.position());
+        }
+      }
+    }
+  }
 }