Na'im Lynn is sticking up for Kevin Hart amid the fallout from Tony Hinchcliffe's controversial roast jokes ... saying people are coming after the wrong guy.

We caught up with Na'im at LAX Thursday, and he told us critics upset that Kevin didn't publicly reprimand Tony during the roast should be directing that energy at Tony himself ... adding if you're gonna make a racial joke, it better be funny -- and Tony's joke absolutely wasn't.

As we reported, Hinchcliffe faced major backlash from fellow comics and George Floyd's family after making a joke about Floyd, along with cracks about lynching and the late husband of comedian Sheryl Underwood.

But when it comes to Kevin? Na'im isn't having any of the criticism. He calls Hart a stand-up guy and says there's no reason for him to apologize for someone else's material.

Na'im also argues comedy is one of the last places for true personal expression ... but says cancel culture has made comics increasingly afraid to push boundaries.

He says the outrage has overshadowed everything else they're doing -- and you've gotta check out the full clip, because he even reveals one joke that never made it into the show!