Unlike winter pruning, which stimulates growth, summer pruning stops growth. But, timing of summer pruning is critical and Orin explains this in the video. So, if you prune at the right time, the lateral will stop growing that season and grow very little from there on. It will thicken and get stronger, which is what you need to carry the weight of the fruit.

@@ucscagroecology thanks. I meant continual growth in the following seasons. But I think you answered my question. Thanks!

Normally, I'd advise against doing any major cuts now. But if your branches aren't in leaf, then you aren't wasting energy by removing them. Was it a family tree with a few cultivars on the same tree? I'd cut a branch or two back, to a 10" or 6" stub. Have a look to see if that part of the branch is still alive. Have you been using any lawn feed with weed killer near the tree? Put grass clipping from a treated lawn in your compost, or use it to mulch your tree? It sounds like your tree is in a bad way, and that something major has happened to it recently. Removing one or two branches to a stub won't do much harm at this stage. It will also let you see just how far they have died back. If all else fails, you can cut the entire top off a small tree and graft on new scion wood. You can do this just before bud break, in the new year. On a larger tree, you can graft onto the stumps of major branches. If you look up a channel called JSacadura, he has a lot of information on grafting. Hope that helps, and you save / over graft your tree.