diff --git a/hibernate-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/query/sqm/internal/SqmUtil.java b/hibernate-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/query/sqm/internal/SqmUtil.java
index 43d15bef2c..9110f34bdd 100644
--- a/hibernate-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/query/sqm/internal/SqmUtil.java
+++ b/hibernate-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/query/sqm/internal/SqmUtil.java
@@ -1094,7 +1094,10 @@ public class SqmUtil {
 		}
 
 		final JavaType<?> selectionExpressibleJavaType = selectionExpressible.getExpressibleJavaType();
-		assert selectionExpressibleJavaType != null;
+		if ( selectionExpressibleJavaType == null ) {
+			// nothing we can validate
+			return;
+		}
 
 		final Class<?> selectionExpressibleJavaTypeClass = selectionExpressibleJavaType.getJavaTypeClass();
 		if ( selectionExpressibleJavaTypeClass != Object.class ) {
@@ -1103,7 +1106,7 @@ public class SqmUtil {
 				return;
 			}
 
-			if ( selectionExpressibleJavaType instanceof PrimitiveJavaType<?> primitiveJavaType ) {
+			if ( selectionExpressibleJavaType instanceof final PrimitiveJavaType<?> primitiveJavaType ) {
 				if ( primitiveJavaType.getPrimitiveClass() == resultClass ) {
 					return;
 				}
diff --git a/hibernate-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/sql/results/jdbc/internal/JdbcValuesCacheHit.java b/hibernate-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/sql/results/jdbc/internal/JdbcValuesCacheHit.java
index 62662d8f5e..a2902861ea 100644
--- a/hibernate-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/sql/results/jdbc/internal/JdbcValuesCacheHit.java
+++ b/hibernate-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/sql/results/jdbc/internal/JdbcValuesCacheHit.java
@@ -176,12 +176,12 @@ public class JdbcValuesCacheHit extends AbstractJdbcValues {
 		if ( valueIndexesToCacheIndexes == null ) {
 			return ( (Object[]) row )[valueIndex];
 		}
-		else if ( row.getClass() != Object[].class ) {
-			assert valueIndexesToCacheIndexes[valueIndex] == 0;
-			return row;
+		else if ( row instanceof Object[] ) {
+			return ( (Object[]) row )[valueIndexesToCacheIndexes[valueIndex]];
 		}
 		else {
-			return ( (Object[]) row )[valueIndexesToCacheIndexes[valueIndex]];
+			assert valueIndexesToCacheIndexes[valueIndex] == 0;
+			return row;
 		}
 	}