My best guess is watering incorrectly. When it was in the nursery pot the soil was just nursery soil, not well droning. Couple that with being root bound and it was hard for me to water. I couldn't really tell if I was watering too much or too little. It had enough light, humidity, and warmth so I can pretty much chalk it up to bad watering. It only started recovering when I did an emergency repot.
Ok I'm going to post some more pictures for inspiration. I'm imagining the tree growing out from a riverbank to find sun, then reaching upwards once it gets out from under the other trees. I think a crescent pot might be suitable for this tree.