diff --git a/src/hotspot/share/runtime/reflection.cpp b/src/hotspot/share/runtime/reflection.cpp
index d6c10c5c70c08..1797471d84bf4 100644
--- a/src/hotspot/share/runtime/reflection.cpp
+++ b/src/hotspot/share/runtime/reflection.cpp
@@ -270,17 +270,16 @@ void Reflection::array_set(jvalue* value, arrayOop a, int index, BasicType value
   if (!a->is_within_bounds(index)) {
     THROW(vmSymbols::java_lang_ArrayIndexOutOfBoundsException());
   }
-  if (a->is_objArray()) {
-    if (value_type == T_OBJECT) {
-      oop obj = cast_to_oop(value->l);
-      if (obj != nullptr) {
-        Klass* element_klass = ObjArrayKlass::cast(a->klass())->element_klass();
-        if (!obj->is_a(element_klass)) {
-          THROW_MSG(vmSymbols::java_lang_IllegalArgumentException(), "array element type mismatch");
-        }
+  if (value_type == T_OBJECT) {
+    assert(a->is_objArray(), "just checking");
+    oop obj = cast_to_oop(value->l);
+    if (obj != nullptr) {
+      Klass* element_klass = ObjArrayKlass::cast(a->klass())->element_klass();
+      if (!obj->is_a(element_klass)) {
+        THROW_MSG(vmSymbols::java_lang_IllegalArgumentException(), "array element type mismatch");
       }
-      objArrayOop(a)->obj_at_put(index, obj);
     }
+    objArrayOop(a)->obj_at_put(index, obj);
   } else {
     assert(a->is_typeArray(), "just checking");
     BasicType array_type = TypeArrayKlass::cast(a->klass())->element_type();