You can prune the tree back (quite hard) to reshape it and have it create new branches to fill in the foliage close to the trunk. When you cut one branch, you'll likely get two more that grow from the location of the cut. That being said, its a bit late in the season to do major work on the tree. Early spring would be a better time.

I'd enjoy taking on that challenge. I love to prune but hate to repot.

Anyway, you need to prune all the heavy branches back hard. This is hard to explain, but I'll try.

Branches are numbered by order. The trunk is the first order, branches growing from the trunk are second order, branches growing from second order branches are third order, and so on. For today's purpose, I'm going to call the heavy branches that are really extensions of the trunks, second order branches. First, focus on a heavy second order branch and start visually following it back to the trunk. Prune the second order heavy branch on the far side of the second higher order (third) branch or leaf from the trunk.

Let's say the image ^^^ is a branch and it's attached to the trunk at the D. The image shows where you prune the heavy branches. So you want to leave only 2 separate green things (that would be a green leaf or a branch) on the heavy second order branches. If either or both of the green things on the heavy branch are smaller third order branches with more than 2 green leaves, cut them back to 2 leaves. When you're done pruning the entire tree, no branch should have more than 2 leaves or higher order branches growing from it. The leaves count as branches because after you prune, new branches will grow in the crotch of the leaf.

Look closely where I removed the leaves - there's a stub. Note the branches growing in the crotch where the leaf was. That (back-budding) will happen to your tree when you prune the branches.

Even the heavy branches growing upward should be pruned back so there are only 2 smaller branches or leaves on them.

If you do that and provide a couple of images after work is done on the tree, maybe I can help you sort out the snarl of fine branches, which is what you want to use for the top of the tree.

Al

Thank you for all the help! I will go ahead and do that in the next couple of days and send some pictures

So I went through and pruned it. Looks very bare and little now 😂 had a lot of dead little branches and overgrown parts I got rid of. What should I be doing to help it grow back nice and full?